Altered Histories
by Acaykath
Summary: hey say that history is written by the victor. Harry finds that this is not the case, history is actually written by the manipulative old coot behind the victor, and this Harry is not going to let himself be stepped all over, unless of course Luna tells him to.
1. FRIDAY AUGUST 13, 1993

**Harry Potter and the Altered Histories**

**Synopsis:** They say that history is written by the victor. Harry finds that this is not the case, history is actually written by the manipulative old coot behind the victor, and this Harry is not going to let himself be stepped all over, unless of course Luna tells him to.

**Acknowledgements:** This story takes a good deal of inspiration from Rorschach's Blot's story Make A Wish. I encourage everyone to read that story if they want a laugh. For those who have read Make A Wish, I assure you that this story, while it borrows some ideas, it does not copy any scene or even the storyline of Make A Wish.

**Plot Elements:** HarryXLuna. Powerful, Not Evil, Dark Lord, Metamorph, Magical Animagus, Highly Coincidental Harry. Intelligent, Seer, Aura Reader, Morally Incomprehensible, Luna. Butt of the occasional joke Sirius. Contains myths and legends of many cities and countries.

**Disclaimers:** All rights to Harry Potter and anything from the Harry Potter universe belong solely to J. and whatever publisher she uses in your country. Everything else is my hard work. All non-magical places are real to the best of Google's knowledge.

* * *

**FRIDAY AUGUST 13, 1993**

Harry wandered from store to store in Diagon Alley. He couldn't believe the summer he was having. He had been beaten up by his pig of a cousin. He had barely received any food. He had been worked to the bone while his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia berated him for his so-called laziness. Aunt marge had come to visit, bringing her beast of a dog that had bitten him three time. She had spent her visit insulting him and his parents until he had finally lost control and blew her up, not like a bomb, but like a balloon. She had expanded and floated up to the ceiling. That alone had made it his best summer ever. He had then grabbed his belongings and left before his Uncle had regained enough sense to try and beat the freakishness out of him again.

Now, after the minister of magic himself had personally expressed his thankfulness about Harry's safety and set him up in a room at the leaky cauldron, Harry had nothing to do but explore while he waited for the start of his next term. Diagon Alley was the main shopping district for the wizards and witches of England. There were of course other magical districts, like the town of Hogsmeade that was situated next to his residence for the entirety of the school year, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Diagon Alley, however, was the most extensive shopping location, the wizarding equivalent of a muggle mega-mall. You could buy most anything there, for example, pets and pet supplies could be had at the Magical Menagerie. It was where Harry's snowy owl Hedwig had come from, though he usually purchased her supplies from the more specialized Eeylop's Owl Emporium which also inhabited the alley. It was also the only location of England's wizarding bank, Gringotts. The goblin-run bank was often compared to Hogwarts as being one of the British Isles' most secure locations. Harry had to give the edge to Gringotts; he had yet to have anything try to kill him there.

In addition to the shops in the alley itself, there were smaller, less popular offshoots such as Knockturn Alley, a location favored by dark wizards, dark creatures, and others who wanted their dealings kept away from prying eyes. Another was Vertic Alley which catered more to the muggle-born crowd and the occasional arithmancer due to the fact that you could find high-tech items such as graph-parchment and slide-rules there. Sensu Alley, like Knockturn Alley, was a location that most wizarding parents avoided and insisted their children do the same due to the women of ill repute that filled it.

Today, Harry was standing before Sensic Alley. It was only a short connection between Diagon Alley and Wrig Alley, a seemingly unused street that could not seem to maintain a straight course. There was only one store in Sensic Alley, Meryl's Misunderstood Magical Minutia. It was the kind of store most would not look twice at. As Harry had several more days until he needed to set off for school, he was more than happy to enter through the drab facade. The inside was no more impressive. It was rather dusty, and the shelves were stocked with an eclectic mix of knickknacks, books, and odd jewelery. Harry examined a small stack of books, though perhaps leaflets would have been a better term for them. The largest could not have been more than twenty pages. He was, however, pleasantly interested in the topics covered. The first was 'The truth behind wandless magic and other things the Ministry does not want you to know', the second was 'Wands, staves, stones, and the uses of other magical foci', the third was probably the largest 'Permanency: Creating lasting enchantments, enhancements, tools, and treasures'. In all there were about twenty that seemed to cover every aspect of magic to some degree or another and were written by a woman named Meryl-Lynn M. Brokus. A tap of wood on wood startled Harry from his examinations.

"You have a good eye for quality. Most people would overlook those because they were written by a muggle-born, or written by a woman, or because they are small."

Harry turned towards the female voice that had interrupted his browsing. There stood a middle-aged woman in comfortable, nondescript muggle clothing. Her graying hair sprawled loosely around her shoulders. The wooden knock he had heard had come from the large carved wooden stick that she leaned her weight on, compensating for an old leg injury.

"Um, I guess..." Harry said.

"Now, come on and pay for your purchase, I don't have all day, and neither do you."

"My purchase?" Harry asked.

The woman gestured to a sign that read, 'By touching any item on the shelves, you agree to purchase it. Prices non-negotiable.'

"I suppose I'll take these, then," Harry said. Chances were that if he did not follow the rules, he would probably end up with some sort of curse. He did not want to risk that. "How much are they?"

"That all depends on you." She leaned her walking stick against the counter and began shuffling through some parchment. "This is a special creation of mine." She placed a few inches of parchment on the counter. The parchment had the title 'Payment for the collective works of Meryl-Lynn M. Brokus'. Before Harry could protest, the woman had grabbed his arm and stuck his finger with a needle, letting a few drops of blood drip onto the parchment and began to form letters.

"Usage: Unlimited." Harry read as a price began to appear. "More than eighty-five hundred galleons!" He exclaimed as the writing stopped appearing.

"That is rather low considering you are the heir of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter. You probably have restricted access to your finances until you reach your majority," the shop keeper explained, "You probably have not purchased your school supplies yet, so I'll give you a small discount," She waved her hand over the parchment and the number dropped by one-hundred galleons. "That should do it."

"That still seems to be much too expensive for a few pamphlets."

The shopkeeper barked out a laugh. "As dense as most magicals, you are. These are not just pamphlets, they are magical. The pages you see are merely the introduction. The back page is a responsive archive that will bring up stored information when requested. And, look at the name. You really can't trust history books. Sound it out. Meryl-Lynn M. Brokus..."

"Meryl-Lynn M. Brokus? Mariln M. Brokus... Merilyn Embroccus..." Harry's eyes widened in awe as he said under his breath, "Merlin Ambrosius!" He paused as this sunk in. "By Merlin's beard, you're saying these were written by Merlin himself!"

"Herself, actually. The identity of Merlin was merely an advanced glamor to hide her true identity." The shopkeeper poured some black wax from a burning candle onto the parchment. "Press your vault key into the wax to turn this into an official bank draft." Harry did as he was told, stunned by the revelation. "Now off with you. It's time for me to close shop for the day." With a wave of her hand, Harry found himself propelled out the door which barred itself before all the candle extinguished. When harry blinked, the store seemed to vanish, replaced by a dilapidated and long abandoned building. If he were not still holding the books, he would assume that he had imagined the whole encounter.

" Meryl's Misunderstood Magical Minutia... By Merlin's sagging left testi... Err... Whatever! I just met Merlin!"

Harry wandered back to his room in the Leaky Cauldron and lay down on his bed, trying to process what had just happened. Either, he had just become amazingly lucky, or he had been severely swindled. He supposed that there was only one way to find out.

He opened the first book and began to read.

* * *

**The truth behind wandless magic**

**And other things the Ministry does not want you to know**

_There is one lie that everyone will tell you that no one should believe. They say 'You need a wand to cast spells." But, is this true? Magical toddlers cast magic all the time. This is termed as accidental magic, but that is misleading term. Rather, it should be called exigency and intent magic. In truth, there are four things needed to perform feats of magic._

_The first and most important is power. You need magical energy to perform spells. Magical energy is no different from any other energy. It cannot be created or destroyed, but it can be controlled, and transformed. As with all energies in the human body, it is replenished through the food that we eat. _

_The second thing needed to perform magic is exigency, the need for something or a sense of urgency. With these two, the body of a witch or wizard can cause a release of energy from their magical core, and with practice can control the flow. However, with just the two, the energy will be released chaotically. If anything can be termed as accidental magic, it would be exigent magic because anything that does happen is not done purposefully, but will in some way relate to the need. For example, if an object is thrown at a person and they really need to not be hit, the thrown object may explode, it may just stop, it may change course, it may strike a shield, it may be displaced to a new location, it may become intangible, it may cease to exist entirely, the person may be displaced, the person may become intangible, the person may trans-locate with the thrower, or any other number of things. Exigent magic only ever occurs in the most desperate of circumstances._

_The third requirement of magic is intent. Intent is knowing the outcome of magic. For example, if a child wanted a specific toy in their hand, one of many things could still happen: the item may simply be summoned to the child's hand, a replica of the item may be conjured, the child may levitate to the object, or any other method that would result in the fulfillment of the intent._

_The fourth and final requirement to knowingly perform magic is visualization. If you can imagine a method to fulfill your intent and understand the mechanics of that method, you can cause that method to be the one used by your magic. However, if you do not really understand what you want your magic to do, then your magic may do something you did not intend, or nothing at all._

_Now, you are probably wondering why wand movements and magic words are required at all. That is because most wizards would fail to understand the mechanics of the simplest things, let alone to do much more complicated things. Wands and their movements are created to replace the visualization of magic. The understanding is generalized into a pattern that can be described arithmancically and then translated into wand movements. The spell words are replacements for or a focus for intent which is much easier to generate than understanding, which is one of the reasons non-verbal casting is still common while wandless casting is almost non-existent._

_Now, why is something that is merely difficult considered impossible by almost everyone? It is propaganda created by the ministries of magic because wandless magic cannot be tracked. The manipulation of magic does not leave a signature indicating the caster, and because a witch or wizard's magic is continuously acting upon themselves, a monitoring spell cannot be placed directly on them. This leaves only two options, monitoring areas for occurrences of external magic which is terrible imprecise and prone to false positives, or monitoring the instrument used to perform magic – the wand. Because of this, every wand is required to be created with built-in tracking spells and be registered at the ministry._

* * *

Harry lay in his bed in shock. This was definitely not something he had thought of. It had never even occurred to him to try wandless magic. Of course, having been beaten for even suspicions of accidental magic, it had not been on the top of his to-do list. He turned to the next and last page. At the top was a notice saying, 'Speak and your answer will come forth:'.

"How do I learn to cast wandlessly?" Harry asked.

Writing flowed onto the page. It appeared on both the left and right with instructions to tap on the right to go forward and left to go back. It described five exercises. The first was to begin casting a spell with his wand but not finish it and feel how the magic flowed from his core to his wand. The second was to meditate on his emotions and attempt o agitate the flow of energy in his body. The third was to picture the end result of something simple until it was as real to him as the reality around him. The fourth exercise was to consider how the end result could be accomplished and try to think of every factor that could affect the method. The final exercise was to combine all the previous exercises into something simple. Once he had mastered one spell, he could then work his way up to more complex spells.

Harry held his wand in his had and concentrated as if he was going to perform the lumos charm, trying to feel the flow of magic.


	2. SUNDAY AUGUST 29, 1993

**SUNDAY AUGUST 29, 1993**

Harry sighed in frustration. He had been working for two days on the levitation spell, but every method he used had drawbacks. Creating a vacuum worked, but it was unstable and would disperse anything that wasn't a solid mass and caused some fragile and hollow objects to explode. He had tried hooking the magic like a fishing line, but that pulled and tore and had to be at the exact center of mass or else the object would topple over. He had tried several methods of creating platforms, all of which had unacceptable downsides.

He decided to take a break. He yawned, stretched, and then left his room, trudging down the stairs. It was probably time for lunch anyway. He tripped over his feet as he neared the bottom, tumbling out of the stairwell and landing on a vaguely familiar blonde girl.

"Uh, sorry about that," Harry said.

"It's alright. Everyone suffers from wrackspurt infestations every now and then," the girl replied, "You're Harry Potter."

"Uh, yeah. And you are?"

"That is a deeply philosophical question," the girl replied, "who really knows anyone these days. Until you do, you can just call me Luna, Luna Lovegood. So, are you going to ask me on a date or just lay on top of me all day?"

"Oh, sorry!" Harry exclaimed as he pulled himself up and offered his hand and helped Luna up. He stood there awkwardly as she stood next to him, not letting go of his hand. "Umm, am I going to get my hand back?"

"Only when our date is over, silly. You're supposed to hold hands when on a date."

"Date?" Harry squeaked.

"Oh, sorry. I might have misinterpreted your response. We really need to chase away those wrackspurts. Should we lay back down then?"

"Why don't we get some lunch. Then, I suppose it would be good to do some school shopping."

"Well, daddy did leave me here to do my shopping, and it is very traditional. Though, I expected something more unusual from you Harry. Perhaps some dirigible plums would help you accept that you're not normal and never will be."

Harry was struck dumb by this comment. "What are dirigible plums? Or, for that matter, wrackspurts?"

"These are dirigible plums," Luna replied, pointing to her earrings which looked an awful lot more like radishes than any sort of fruit, let alone plums. "And wrackspurts are invisible creatures that fly around and make your brain go all fuzzy."

"Oh..." Harry had the distinct impression that wrackspurts did not exist and that Luna was in fact wearing radishes as earrings. "Shall we grab a table then?"

"I guess, but I fail to see what that will accomplish." Luna said walked over to a table and grabbed its side. "Do you think it will run away if we don't?"

"No, I just meant that we should find a place to sit and order food."

"Well, you might have just said that in the first place. You should say what you mean; The world is a much simpler place that way."

"I suppose you're right, but sometimes the world just isn't simple." Harry and Luna sat down, Luna taking a second to inform the table that it was not to move until they were finished.

"That's usually what people say when they make things more complicated than they need to be."

"Well, consider this then. You know the levitation spell we learn in first year, right?" Harry said, "How do you suppose it works without damaging or toppling the object being levitated?"

"Well, you do a swish and a flick with your wand and say 'wingardium leviosa' while concentrating on the item you want to levitate and then your magic takes care of the rest."

"But what does the magic do? I've been reading a book about wandless magic and was trying to copy a simple spell, but it didn't work. No matter what I tried, nothing worked anywhere near as well as the spell we learned in first year."

"I've never learned about wandless magic. The Ministry of magic doesn't like when people use it, so not many people know much about it."

Harry gave Luna a quick summary of what he had learned from the book. She thought for about half a second before pointing at a salt shaker that began flying through the air, moving where her finger was pointing without tilting or breaking or any apparent effort on Luna's part.

"How are you doing that?" Harry asked.

"It's not that difficult. You told me that magic is energy. It cannot be created or destroyer, only transferred or converted. So I just equalized the forces on the object and then had them balance out in a way that the object would move to where I was pointing. As long as the force is evenly distributed, the object doesn't tip."

Harry watched in amazement as she easily lowered the salt shaker. "I've been trying to do that for two days and you got it in seconds."

"Just because everyone calls me Loony doesn't mean I'm not smart. I am a Ravenclaw for a reason," Luna said dreamily. "You were probably over complicating things and trying to hold it up with something else rather than just making it move."

Harry blushed in embarrassment.

"You need to keep an open mind about things," Luna stated, "Or who can know what you'll miss just because you didn't think about it being possible."

"You're right. I've learned some interesting things from these books, like the fact that Merlin was a woman."

Luna seemed to think for a moment. "That makes sense."

"Her name was really Meryl-Lynn M. Brokus, but she did everything under a glamor because, back then, no one would take her seriously as a woman."

"Maybe I can write an article for Daddy's magazine about that. My dad is the editor of the Quibbler."

"I've never heard of it," Harry admitted.

"It's not very popular, but it is the only news source that isn't censored by the Ministry. It's our duty to get the truth out there."

"What can I get for you two?" Tom the bartender asked, approaching their table.

"I'll have the lunch special," Harry ordered.

"The same," Luna said.

"I'll have it to you in a few minutes."

The two sat in silence until their food came, watching the people pass through the portal into Diagon Alley. Harry glanced at her every once in a while, feeling a little awkward.

"I really wanted to thank you for what you did at the end of last term," Luna refocused her gaze on him, her dreamy airs fading for a moment.

"It was only a big snake. I just wish that I had had more time to plan. I might not have had to kill it if I could have talked to it away from that memory of Voldemort."

"And you saved Ginny. Before My mom died, she was my only friend. I'm happy that she's still alive."

"I didn't really see you around the castle last year. Who do you hang out with now?" Harry asked.

"Well, I spend most of my time talking to the portraits. It's almost like having friends..."

The statement made Harry lose his appetite and he dropped his fork. After he had revealed his parseltongue abilities, most of the school had avoided him, thinking that he was the heir of Slytherin. At least Hermione and Ron had not abandoned him. He had been so self absorbed about that incident that he had not thought that someone could have it worse than him. "Well, if you ever feel the need to talk to someone, you can come to me. There are a lot of people who think they know me, then lambast me for supposedly turning into the next dark lord. I'd like to have another real friend."

"Another? I didn't know you had real friends." Luna said.

"What about Hermione and Ron?"

"They are being paid by the headmaster to keep you from getting any friends. Every time you associate with someone that hasn't been approved of, they tell them that Harry Potter would appreciate if they kept their distance and hex them if they refuse."

"That can't be true," Harry said, "They wouldn't do something like that!"

"Ron was the one who started the Dark Lord Potter rumor. He told Justin that you were gunning for him next a few days before he was petrified. And, he's always complaining about how you get everything handed to you on a silver platter and how you don't deserve your money and fame."

"He knows that I hate my fame, and that I'd give up all the gold in the world if it meant I could have a family like he does. He wouldn't go around saying things like that, even if he was a jealous git. How could you possibly find out he's doing these things?"

"It's amazing what people will say when it's only Looney Lovegood around to overhear. You should follow him under your invisibility cloak one day. You'll see what he's really like."

"What about Hermione?"

"Ever wonder how the Headmaster always knows what's going on? Hermione has weekly meetings with him for extra credit. She knows that a muggleborn has no prospects in wizarding society unless they are really exceptional. I suspect that she has another way of contacting him as well."

"So she is spying on me as an extra-credit assignment?"

"That would be an acceptable way to describe it," Luna acknowledged.

"I just can't believe it until I see it," Harry sighed. Unfortunately it was all too easy to believe.

"You could just grab your invisibility cloak and follow them. They just arrived."

Harry dropped low in his seat and peaked around. Sure enough, Ginny had just popped out of the floo and stopped next to Ron and their mother. "Can you stall them for a moment?" He asked.

Luna nodded and Harry ducked through the crowd and scrambled up the stairs. A few moments later, he was coming back down, hidden from view. Luna was standing next to Ginny and blathering on about something called a blibbering humdinger. Ginny was grimacing at the seemingly nonsensical information. When he approached, Luna abruptly switched topics. It was almost as if she could see him. Only Dumbledore had ever seen through the cloak, and Harry suspected that was because the headmaster had some sort of tracking charm on it.

"You must have been real happy last term. You always talked about how you'd one day marry Harry Potter, and then you got the chance to be saved by him." Ginny blushed vividly. "What do you like about him? Or is it just the love potions your mother has been giving you?"

"They're not love potions. Besides, Dumbledore is arranging a marriage contract, So I have to be ready. There really isn't a better match for him. We'll no longer be poor, and our children will be pure bloods, restoring the honor to the Ancient and Noble House of Potter."

Harry bit his lip to hold back a gasp. Any inclination he may have had to date Ginerva Weasley was immediately mulched and the ground salted.

"Well, I think he's rather brave, the way he went after you when Dumbledore was too afraid to try. I think I'm going to get him a gift to thank him for saving the school. Do you think he'd like My Virginity?"

"You'll stay away from Harry if you know what's good for you!" Ron interjected.

"Really? I thought it was a great album, if a little controversial. Did you know that they based that album off the magical Kama Sutra? I find that it keeps nargles away even better than kissing."

"Just stay away from Harry. He's got no time for you Looney," Ron said harshly.

"You can't keep him away from everyone," Luna said, "He'll find out what you've been doing, and he'll make new friends."

"He's so thick, he'd never figure it out on his own. The mudblood figured out everything for him. She found the trapdoor. She found the basilisk. What did he do? Exactly what I told him too. He's too gullible to figure it out."

Harry had heard enough. "No I think I've figured out quite enough. I suppose the pureblood inbreeding really does make it around. I'd swear you were more Malfoy than Weasley."

"Harry?" Ron looked around with a stunned expression on his face. "Harry, where are you mate?" It was like his personality had completely turned around.

"Invisibility cloak, 'mate'," Harry sneered, though the effect was somewhat lost by his lack of visibility. "You'd think such a smart pure blood would have figured that out. Now, if you'll excuse me," Harry tossed the edge of his invisibility cloak over Luna, Hiding her from view. "I think I am going to finish my date with Luna, and maybe I'll learn what it's like to have a real friend." He wrapped an arm around Luna and began to lead her away.

"You should be thanking me you ungrateful sod! We rescued you from your relatives. We gave you Christmas presents. You have everything you ever wanted."

Harry ignored the ranting.

"You know," said Luna, "Ginny wasn't the only witch with a crush on you. There were a few wizards as well..."

Harry shuddered. He really hoped that all of Malfoy's attentions were not an immature boy's attempts at flirting.

"I'll make you a deal," Harry said, "If you tell me how you saw through my invisibility cloak, then I'll start taking this date seriously. Though, I hope afterward, no matter what the outcome of the date, that we can be friends."

"Why wait?" Luna asked, causing Harry to break out into laughter.

"You're absolutely right, Luna. So, Do you need to stop at the bank? I do. I spent my whole trust fund on the Merlin books."

"No, Daddy gave me some money for my school supplies, but I can go with you if you want. Your fake friends will probably not want to wait around looking for us if we spend some time down there. We'll be there for a while."

Harry blushed, wondering what she could possibly mean. He soon found out though when he entered the bank and approached a familiar looking goblin.

"Hello, Griphook," Harry greeted, "Nice to see you again."

The goblin looked at him strangely. "Mr. Potter, you remember me by name. You are very unusual for a wizard."

"It's not hard since I've only been here twice. This may be my last visit though, since I spent all but a hundred galleons a few weeks ago."

"Is that so?" Griphook asked, "And how, did you spend the galleons that were added to you trust vault before the weekly allotment was transferred this morning?"

"Weekly allotment?" Harry asked.

"Yes, your allowance from your main vault. I believe..." Griphook was cut off.

"What main vault?"

"Have you never read your quarterly financial statements?" Griphook muttered about lazy wizards.

"What quarterly financial statements?"

"Have you received any correspondence from Gringotts?" Griphook asked, becoming suspicious.

"No... I haven't received anything. I have only been here the two times. I picked up some gold from the money I inherited, and that was it."

"Follow me then. I am going to bring you to the manager of the bank, Ragnok, the king of the goblins. Treat him with respect and we'll soon find out what the cause of these irregularities are." He stopped at a nearby desk and filled out a form that vanished after he was finished.

Harry and Luna followed Griphook up into the upper levels of the bank. At the top floor was an elevator that soon dropped them deep into the crust of the earth, stopping at a waiting room. Another goblin sat at a large marble and granite desk that was accented with gem-encrusted molding of precious metals. The walls were rough stone with veins of gold, supported by pillars of crystal. Around the border of the room were chairs of gold that looked almost like they had been poured into their shapes. They were topped with red velvet which, while looking hard and flat, actually felt soft and molded itself to the sitter. There was one man already in a chair, a small tea tray beside him.

"Ragnok is a busy man. That man has been waiting two days to meet him. Though, I am sure that for a preferred customer like yourself, it will take much less time."

"Is this really so important that we need to talk to the bank manager?" Harry asked.

"Mr. Potter, banking improprieties are the greatest crime in the goblin criminal code. At the very least the one responsible must pay back any losses including any profits that could have been expected from the money. If there is more than one responsible party, each additional party must pay that amount, and the excess goes towards the goblin government less ten percent which goes to the victim. If it was deliberate theft... Well, you've read the inscription at the entrance." The goblin bared his teeth in a menacing semblance of a smile.

"Well, hopefully, it's just a mistake and no harm was done," Harry said.

"That is unlikely. By your own admission, you did not know that your trust vault had a replenishment plan, which means that whoever failed to notify you has prevented you from utilizing your funds to their maximum benefit. If nothing else, a large amount of profit can be claimed, assuming no monies are missing. Fortunately, you family vault is sealed until you come of age, so there should be no irregularities with it unless a goblin was knowingly involved."

"What if I don't want the person responsible punished?"

"This is not the human justice system. Your whims are of no consequence. If a person defrauds one of our clients, they have defrauded the Goblin Nation. There is no mercy for enemies of the Goblin Nation."

"Did you ever figure out how Quirrel broke into vault seven-one-three?"

Griphook raised an eyebrow. "We never found out who attempted to rob the vault, let alone how they managed to bypass the safeguards. We have made improvements to our security since then. Who is this Quirrel."

"Dumbledore never told you?" Harry asked in surprise, "Quirinus Quirrell was my first year defense teacher. He used to be the muggle studies teacher before he went on a sabbatical to Albania and got himself possessed by the spirit of Tom Riddle, or Voldemort as he likes to call himself. He wanted to get the philosopher's stone to restore himself to a real body."

"In a spirit form?" Griphook began to mumble to himself for a minute. "If you'll excuse me, I need to fill out some paperwork."

"When you told me we'd be here for a long time, you weren't talking about time spent in my vault, were you..." Harry sighed.

"We can do that too if you want, but I don't think you will try anything like that until halloween. Too bad it will be interrupted. Wrackspurts breed much more easily in wizarding society. They rarely feed too much on muggles."

"How do you do that, Luna? Are you some sort of psychic?"

"Harry, you're smarter than that."

"What do you mean?"

"Psychic phenomena are merely bouts of accidental magic by children or those magical people that were missed by the detectors. Though, that may just be what the ministry wants us to think. Maybe it's just a conspiracy to keep the numbers of muggleborns at controllable levels, or just those that refused their school invitations."

Harry was stunned into silence which persisted for several seconds.

"I am a seer and an aura-reader. It's why everyone thinks of me a Looney Lovegood. They don't realize that they're the ones that are blind. It's a hereditary gift, like your parseltongue."

"Hereditary... Dumbledore said I got my parseltongue from Voldemort," Harry said.

"Voldemort is your real father? I never would have guessed..."

"No, he said that when Voldemort attacked me he accidentally transferred some of his power into me."

"Is that so?" Griphook said, returning to the conversation, "We were planning a full spectrum of heredity tests to ensure that all possible issues are discovered. I hope for your sake that that you are wrong and the power is indeed hereditary. If my suspicions are accurate and your headmaster is correct, then you are in more danger than you could possibly realize."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"It does not bear discussion right now. It will wait until the appropriate time. Now, come, Ragnok is ready for you."

Harry and Luna followed Ragnok into the office through a doorway that just seemed to fade out of the stone walls next to the goblin at the desk. Inside was a cylindrical room with a domed ceiling. The room was decorated with the finest examples of goblin weapons and armor the goblin nation could produce. Straight ahead of him was a stairway that lead down into a depression in the floor. The sides of this depression had benches carved out of them with comfortable looking seats. At the far end was a goblin sitting on a throne. Beside him was a small chair that Griphook quickly claimed. In front of the goblin king was a large desk with two carved wooden chairs facing it opposite him. Griphook motioned for them to take the seats.

"You're Harry James Potter, Son of Lily Evans and James Potter?" The goblin king asked, idly stroking an axe that was on a rack attached to the side of his throne.

"Umm, yes sir," Harry said nervously. He didn't know how he was supposed to address the goblin leader.

"Well let's get started then. My time is precious, so I don't want you wasting it." He placed a sheet of parchment on the desk. "Place your hand on the parchment."

Harry nervously reached forward.

"Don't flinch," Luna warned.

"Why would I – Ahh!" Harry screamed and pulled his hand away after Ragnok stabbed a knife through it.

"I love doing that," Ragnok chuckled.

Harry, noticing he wasn't in pain, checked his hand and found it to be uninjured.

"Enchanted blood metal," the goblin explained, "Cuts blood and nothing else. Place it in the heart to cause an immediate heart attack, anywhere else and there's more than enough time to pull it out before any damage is done. It's a lot more merciful than those blood quills that are needed to sign contracts. For this, we only needed a little blood"

Harry watched in amazement as the blood began to drip along the paper, eventually forming words in varying scripts.

"Whenever a new family opens a vault, they must provide a blood signature. This parchment is enchanted to compare your blood to the blood we've collected from them. The ones that remain in blood are the vaults you have immediate access to – or will once you are seventeen. The darker reds are vaults that you may be eligible to claim. The brown are vaults that are already claimed by valid heirs, but you are in the line of succession. The black are signatures that we maintain for genealogical purposes and have no assets." With a wave of his hand, the names rearranged into a stack. "The ones at the bottom are the ones you are the most closely related to."

Harry was both amused and somewhat disgusted by some of the names that appeared near the bottom. Potter was in blood red and Evans was in black. Further up, he found Black in an almost brown rust colour, Longbottom in brown, Weasley in brown, and Malfoy in brown. Soon after came an almost who's who of pureblood society. "Inbred pricks," Harry muttered, causing the goblins to chuckle. Upon reaching the oldest names, he found a few that were familiar, Peverell in red, Slytherin in rust red, and Griffindor in brown. "How do I claim the unclaimed vaults? I bet it would really piss Voldemort off if I claimed the Slytherin vault."

"And last year you were complaining about people claiming you were the heir of Slytherin," Luna pointed out.

"Well, there's no sixty foot basilisk petrifying people now is there?"

"What happened with the basilisk?" Griphook asked in sudden interest.

"It's probably rotting in the chamber of secrets since I'm the only one who can open the door. Wasn't going to be moving much once I shoved Griffindor's sword into its brain."

"Under wizarding law, you have the right to the corpse of any monster you slay. There are many ingredients that are worth a fortune such as the hide and venom."  
"I may have the right to do what I want with it, but I don't know what to do with it," Harry replied.

"For a small percentage of the profits, the goblins can arrange everything for you," Griphook said, almost drooling at the prospective profits.

"For five percent, he gets a vial of venom, and two sets of the highest-quality basilisk hide armor that can be made of it and the rest goes into his vault," Luna interjected, "And, he does not have to do any more than open the door."

"Do you concur with your intended's offer?" Ragnok asked.

"Intended?" Harry was rapidly becoming confused.

"Not until next Christmas," Luna assured him, confusing him even more.

"Whatever, she seems to know better than me about almost everything, so I'll agree with what she said."

"Good, we'll have the contract drawn up before this meeting is finished," Ragnok said, "As for your question about claiming the vaults, we will use your list of names to see if anyone is a possible closer match. If not, we will include it in your next statement." Ragnok shuffled through the papers on the desk. "Tell me, exactly what banking transactions you have performed or had performed on your behalf."

"I picked up a handful of coins on the first of August in nineteen-ninety-one. I did the same thing the next summer. Then, few days ago, a shopkeeper had me authorize a draft for about nine-thousand galleons. That was everything."

"And you're not aware of any other transactions?"

"No, that is all of them."

"And you have not authorized five-hundred galleons a week to be removed, nor for the vault to be emptied on the thirtieth of July for the past twelve years."

"No, why would I do that?"

"I doubt you did. You'd have no reason to. We will investigate this and find out who has been stealing your money. For now, we will increase the security of your vault to require fresh blood and your magical signature for entry. For now, this is the statement for all the vaults that the Goblin Nation is managing on your behalf."

"That's a big number," Harry said, stopping to count the zeroes, "At five pounds to the galleon, thats..."

"Seventy-two million in liquid assets, plus heirlooms estimated at another thirty to fifty million. Businesses you own a share in add approximately forty-thousand on a weekly basis though you don't have controlling interests in any of them."

Harry stared with his jaw dropping in awe. "I... I'm rich?"

The goblin leader raised an eyebrow. "You didn't think that just any account holder would receive my personal attention did you?" He chuckled. "The man out there has assets in the five figure range. If you include land holdings, the Potter fortune is in the mid-eight-figure range. He was told which department he could go to to get his issues resolved, but he insists that he speak to me and has refused to merely send a registered letter." Ragnok sighed wearily. "Wizards can be self-absorbed idiots most of the time."

Harry thought back to the sheep mentality that the students at Hogwarts expressed at every article of the daily prophet. "I can't say I disagree with that statement," Harry added. "Now, keeping in mind that I have basically no knowledge of the wizarding world and Gringotts Bank, is there anything else I should be aware of or familiarize myself with?"

"Are you aware of your family's legal representatives? You should probably get in touch with them and have them help you." At Harry's confused look, Ragnok shuffled through the papers. "Ahh, here it is. A Mr. Ted Tonks signed as the legal representative. You should be able to contact him by owl."

"Umm, would it be possible to get goblin healers to give Harry a physical and heal anything they find? He seems to have been in a confrontation with some sort of animal and received some bites on his arms."

Harry quickly pulled down his sleeves and flushed, both in embarrassment at having his injuries noticed and in fury at the way Aunt Marge set her dog on him. Harry was surprised that the dog had not been put down yet with the way it had been trained to attack him, it must have attacked someone else by now.

"There will be a fee, of course, and most wizards prefer their own kind of healers," Ragnok said, "And it is not a service we normally offer."

"I think Harry would benefit from having a neutral party examining him. Who knows, they may even get the artificial wrackspurt that is stuck in him." Her expression lost its airy quality for a moment as she suddenly seemed to focus as she spoke before drifting off again.

"Very well," Ragnok agreed, "Now, back to our original business. Did you want to attempt claims on all available titles and assets?"

"Is there any reason I shouldn't?" Harry asked.

"There is a fee of a two-hundred galleons to cover the lineage trace to discover and contact any other possible heirs and test them for eligibility. That is for each claimable set of assets, not once for all of them. If another has a greater claim, they may take possession of everything in the vault at no charge and if they close the vault, your line will need to inherit through theirs, putting you even further from acquiring the wealth."

"Do them all then. It's not like the money is an issue anymore," Harry replied.

"Very well. It shall be done. Now I believe you have some information about the break in that occurred two years ago."

Harry told the goblins about his first year and the philosopher's stone. At a few points Ragnok growled and bared his teeth.

"Thank you for the information. He is lucky that he is dead."

"He's not, at least the spirit that was possessing him is not." This led to Harry explaining his second year to the goblins.

"Albus Dumbledore has earned himself some special priority service at Gringotts at the very least. Tom Riddle's disembodiment rather than death will not effect your claims to Slytherin though. He needs to respond to the owl post if he wants to challenge you, and that means that he must show up here and survive goblin justice."

Harry shuddered. Thieves were not treated well in goblin justice if they survived. "Thank you for everything, sir."

"Thank you for using Gringotts bank. Griphook, show the Potter lordling to our medical facilities."

Harry was taken back out to the elevator which stopped at a different subterranean level. He followed through a short hallway until he reached a room full of injured, many gruesomely, goblins.

"Sit," Griphook ordered, "I will get you a number." Griphook returned momentarily and they waited. This wait was much longer than the wait to see Ragnok. It gave Luna plenty of time to explain something called the Rotfang Conspiracy. Harry didn't really see the connection between gum disease and overthrowing the ministry of magic. He suspected that detail may have been superfluous and the dark magic was the key ingredient to the supposed conspiracy. He didn't argue though. Perhaps this was just another one of those things that could only be seen by aura reading seers.

Eventually their number was called, at least Griphook said it was their number; Harry couldn't understand Gobbledegook. Harry almost felt like he was impeding emergency care as a goblin calmly walked in carrying his own severed arm, but this was how the goblin nation was run.

"You are lucky. We don't have many healers that speak English, let alone know enough about human anatomy to diagnose a human. We always keep at least one on staff to service our own employees, so it is not unheard of. You will be seeing Healer Fangcutter. Be forewarned, those of us that choose to study humans tend to be a bit odd."

Odd was not the term Harry would have used. Healer Fangcutter turned out to be the very picture of a mad scientist. His workspace was decorated with various blades, saws, and drills that he could not think of any medical use for other than torture. The healer himself was wearing a torn lab coat. The torn bottom hem of the coat was dark with dried blood. Fangcutter lived up to his name well, his teeth were filed to razor sharp points that would put any vampire to shame. Embedded into his left eye socket was an eye loupe which seemed to twitch and focus on its own.

"Hmm, what have we here?" Fangcutter asked, ignoring Harry completely. He grabbed Luna's head, twisting it back and forth and examining it. His loupe hung whirring in front of Luna's own owlish eye, but she just stared back contentedly. "A little spacy, but that doesn't matter for my experiments. She'll do nicely as payment."

"She's not here for payment. I'm paying with gold from my vault!" Harry exclaimed. Nothing like having the girl eviscerated to ruin a first date.

"Pity..." Fangcutter sighed, "I've never dissected one of her kind before."

Harry shivered.

"Harry needs a complete checkup," Luna pointed out, calming the tension that had built up.

"Anything in particular you want checked?"

"He did get hit by a killing curse," Luna explained sagely, as if this would be news to the goblin.

"Ahh, you're that Harry. You may be an even better specimen than the girl."

"Maybe we should just have gone to a human healer," Harry suggested.

"Nonsense. I'm the best there is." Fangcutter grabbed his arm and forced him onto a small wooden stool. "Let's start from the top shall we?" The goblin's hand began to glow and he placed it on Harry's head over his scar. "Hmm, this is interesting. Seems to be some sort of soul-leech." Before Harry could blink, he suddenly found himself restrained. The stool had been transfigured into some type of operating table. Fangcutter grabbed a large cleaver with a jagged blade and slammed it into Harry's skull just above his eyebrows, cutting all the way through until the blade struck the table.

"I'm still alive?" Harry said in surprise. If not for the searing pain in his skull, Harry would have thought that the healer had missed.

"I call this blade Bone Saw. Only cut bones and cuts them clean if you strike with confidence." The healer pulled at Harry's hair than used a smaller blade to cut away the skin until the entire top of Harry's skull popped right off. Fangcutter held the partial skull in front of Harry's face so that he could see the scar on his own forehead. He grabbed a hook shaped dagger next. "This one is Soul Ripper," Fangcutter said gleefully as he jammed it into Harry's forehead, right through the lightning shaped scar. A piercing scream rent the air and a black tar-like substance spilled out onto Harry's chest. "Horcruxes are nasty pieces of magic. Tearing your soul in half by murdering an innocent in cold blood then attaching it to an object, forming an anchor that stops your spirit from passing on. Not a pleasant existence at all. And this one was sucking out your magic as well."

The top of Harry's head was unceremoniously plopped back on. The healer hummed happily as flashes of pain marked the welding of his skull in place and closing of the wound around his head. Harry had to bite his lip to keep from screaming out in pain. The fact that he didn't scream seemed to slightly depress Fangcutter.

"That should hold it for now, but you'll need to drink some Skelegrow before you go to bed to finish it off. You'll have a nice scar as well Nothing as visible as your little lightning bolt, but a little crossed halo if anyone really looks for it. Your eyes are showing deterioration from malnutrition, this should help and you'll need some nutrient potions and restoration potions. You'll probably want to take the nutrient potions last, they are not as vile tasting as the others." The goblin hummed happily as he continued his examination, working his way down. "You've broken your neck twice. It's surprising you are still alive, let alone walking. A little bruising I might be able to ignore, but with this I'll need to send a report to child services."

"Which will only help if Dumbledore doesn't obliviate them like he has every other time," Harry said. "How did I remember that? He obliviated me too!" Harry growled in anger.

"The soul fragment was probably mentally inhibiting you," Fangcutter guessed, "Heart and lungs are actually in good condition for a wizard. You must get regular exercise."

"I'm on the quidditch team, and at home I spend my time trying to stay away from Dudley and his friends when I am not being forced to work like a slave or having the magic beat out of me."

The goblin giggled. "How interesting."

Harry was really beginning to dislike this goblin. Griphook was standing to the side and taking notes.

"Your magical core has been bound," the goblin mentioned in surprise, "It's surprising you're still alive. Wizards usually only bind the cores of children who have especially violent accidental magic, and they always remove it by six years because the rapid expansion of the magical core will eventually cause the core to split, rendering you a squib, or explode rendering you dead. The leech must have been absorbing your magic fast enough that it never reached the point of splitting or bursting, instead just increasing your magical capacity and regeneration since it was like you were constantly using low level magic and working your core. I have never heard of anyone surviving this."

Harry felt suddenly like his heart had exploded. His entire body ached with pressure and he could barely breathe. The many magical blades began to fly off the walls and circle overhead. With a wave of the Goblin's arm, Harry found himself unconscious.

* * *

"All finished Mr. Potter," Fangcutter said, "You should be careful when using your magic for a while. You'll find that you'll be overdoing things until you get used to your new power level. It turns out that you had a second binding on your magical core, one that was added recently. Someone really wanted to weaken you." The goblin healer handed him a wooden box. "This contains your potion regimen. The cost will come out of your vault, of course. Check it at every meal and before you go to sleep. You may return the box on the thirty-first if you want to get the deposit returned. If you keep it, you will not need to purchase another if I prescribe any other potions. I recommend stunning yourself on evenings when you receive a dose of Skelegrow to help you sleep, though I am sure you already know that."

Harry did know, thanks to his defense teacher vanishing the bones in his arm. He had needed Skelegrow to regrow his bones then and had barely slept a wink.

"I also took the liberty of performing a few experiments while you were out. I hope they turn out as I anticipated. If not, then of course I will waive my fee for your next visit."

"What experiments?" Harry asked nervously.

"Well, now, that would ruin the experiment wouldn't it. You'll just have to figure it out before your appointment next year. Naturally, none of the changes I made will work until your body is healthy and has time to adapt."

Griphook led the two teens back to the lobby. When they got outside, Harry stopped and turned back to Griphook. He was about to explain that he had intended to go to his vault to pick up some gold, but Griphook had beaten him to his request. "You need not visit just to withdraw gold." Griphook handed Harry a leather sack. "This bag responds to your magical signature and will remove a few galleons at a time as long as you have it open. It is keyed to you. Anyone else attempting to use it will find themselves transported into your vault where they will stay until you release them or the decennial cleanup occurs. The bag will inform you if someone has tried to use it since you last did. You need to return every year to renew the charms on the bag though."

Harry accepted the bag, then looked at the setting sun. "It looks like our shopping will have to wait. Care to join me for dinner?"

* * *

Harry yawned. "Shouldn't you be heading home?" Harry asked Luna who was looking tired herself. "I am about ready to kip for the night."

"Oh, no, my father told me to stay here until I finished my shopping." Luna began to remove her clothes.

Harry whipped around to face the wall. "Luna! What are you doing?"

"Getting ready for bed. Can't very well sleep in my clothes now can I."

"But... Did you want me to get another room or something?" He was blushing as he heard what he was pretty sure was the sound of a bra being removed.

"No, this is fine. One day you will have seen me nude many times, I don't see why we should start being all self conscious about it now. Besides, we both know that neither of us is ready to do anything more than cuddle yet so it doesn't make a difference how or where we sleep."

Harry had to disagree. It made a very big difference, not that he had a chance to mention it as Luna deftly pulled down both his pants and boxers.

"Nice bum," Luna commented, "Arms up!" Harry was too shocked to do anything but comply. "Besides, if you stun yourself with your current power and control, you may not wake up for a year." When the naked Harry finally got the wherewithal to open his mouth again, he was once again preempted by a very naked Luna. "Bottoms up!" The first potion was dumped into his mouth without even a by your leave. He sputtered for a moment before the second and third quickly followed, ending with a wandless stunner that wiped all objections from his mind as he fell into the bed.


	3. MONDAY AUGUST 30, 1993

**MONDAY AUGUST 30, 1993**

Harry woke to find his body sore and tingling. Blonde hair tickled his nose and his arms were wrapped around the body of Luna Lovegood. Her naked body was spooned inside his own, his morning arousal pressed against her thighs. He was surprised to feel how much her ribs protruded under his arms. It was not the unhealthy thinness derived from starvation like his own skeletal frame, but the thinness of someone for whom eating was a low priority to be done when time allowed. He blushed at the thought of her seeing him naked, though he knew logically that she had already done so. He immediately began thinking of an exit strategy. It would have been much simpler were he not on the wall side of the bed, and simpler still were she not laying on his arm and clutching his hand. He tried to extricate his arm first. The slight movement caused Luna's breathing to hitch for a moment before she twisted onto her back and stretched her lithe body and giving Harry a closeup display of her budding chest.

Harry cursed. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to seduce me."

"Is it working?" Luna asked, "Never mind, I think you've already answered that question." She squeezed her thighs together with an impish grin as Harry cursed again at his fortunes. If they were a few years older, he certainly would not have let such a tease go unrewarded, but he knew they were both too young for that. Luna hopped out of bed and threw her robe over her head.

"What about your underwear?" Harry asked.

"Never saw the need for it. Always attracts twin lynchflingers. They're really annoying with how they make garments ride up in the most uncomfortable ways. Are you getting up? It's probably time for your breakfast and potions."

Harry grabbed his own garments and attempted to dress while remaining under the covers to conceal himself. Luna watched with a dreamy smile. Harry wondered what could possibly be going through her head. He couldn't anticipate anything she did. She was definitely not normal and he could easily see how others would think of her as Looney Lovegood.

They went downstairs together and Harry got a conspiratorial wink from Tom before he asked, "What can I get for you?"

"Eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns with some pumpkin juice."

"Eggs on toast for me," Luna said.

"Okay, your food will be ready in five."

Harry and Luna took a seat at the bar. Luna handed Harry his box of potions. "Don't forget to take these."

Harry choked the vile concoctions down. Apparently not even goblins had learned to make potions taste good. Fortunately, he did not have to suffer long as Tom brought him his pumpkin juice which he used to wash away the taste.

* * *

"Where to first?" Harry asked.

"Your clothes need replacing," Luna said, "We will take care of your first problem there."

"What's wrong with my clothes?" Harry demanded self-consciously.

"They are big enough to fit two people," Luna answered, "Though that does pose a few interesting opportunities." She paused to consider this for a moment, causing Harry to bump into her. She leaned into his chest, then grabbed his hand and pulled him through the light morning traffic of the alley and into Madam Malkin's. Upon entering the shop, Harry practically ran over Professor McGonagall.

"Morning Professor," Harry blurted.

Professor McGonagall gave him an odd look then asked, "Are you doing your school shopping?"

"Yes, professor."

"Remind me, what courses were you taking this semester?" the woman asked.

"Care of Magical Creatures, and Divination," Harry answered.

"Have you been spouting prophecies when I've not been looking Mr. Potter? Divination is a gift, not something that can be learned. I don't know why Hogwarts even offers it as an open course."

"No, but Luna seems to make them a lot. I really only chose it because Ron was taking it and he said it was an easy course." Harry paused for a moment, taking in his own words. "Thinking about it now, that probably wasn't the best plan for my future. Is it to late to change my mind?"

Professor McGonagall looked conflicted for a moment then said, "Of course not. There's no reason why you shouldn't be able to switch out. Just tell me what course you'd rather take and I will see to it that your schedule is changed."

"Well, I grew up in the muggle world, so Muggle Studies would be a waste of time, but I don't even really know what Ancient Runes and Arithmancy are or how they can be useful to me."

"Well, I suppose we should fix that. Arithmancy is generally used for spell creation and alteration. It is a very theoretical subject. It is used to determine the effects of potions ingredients, how wand movements and incantations work, and will even allow you to design new runes. It is not, I suspect, something you'd enjoy. You frankly do not seem to be the type to excel at such pursuits, it is more along the lines of Miss Granger's specialty. Besides, you are more likely to work with charms and maybe a bit of enchanting, which you can learn by forcing the magic and allowing it to lead you which is one of the techniques that would be taught at newt level as you learn to use spells in different ways than you would consider normal, for example using a levitation charm for stirring soup."

Harry could not see how that would be accomplished off the top of his head, but didn't bother interrupting.

"Ancient Runes, on the other hand is a much more practical exercise. While Arithmancy can be very valuable when designing new runes or discovering the purposes of unknown runes, a good runesmith can work the runes they know to get whatever effect they desire based on their understanding of the runes. Runes are what is used to create a permanent magical effect. Even so-called permanent transfiguration and charm work will eventually use up its energy supply. You use either a single rune or a rune chain to describe a magical effect. Once activated, they either draw from ambient magical energy or the energy of the user to produce the effect. Some runic devices can even be used by muggles if they are in a sufficiently magical area. Then of course there is the benefit of being able to read runic texts which often contain some of the oldest and most potent magics."

"That actually sounds interesting," Harry said.

"I think you should do it," Luna said, "It could come in handy. I'll be taking Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy and Divination. Together, We'd have the full set and there would be nothing we couldn't accomplish together."

"You seem awfully certain we'll be together for a while."

Luna smirked, somehow never losing the dreamy expression.

"Right, seer..." Harry recalled.

Professor McGonagall huffed. "Seer indeed. Divination is a wishy-washy subject that can never be relied upon. You may think you know the meaning of a prophecy, then one day you'll realize it has been fulfilled and you didn't recognize it until it was over."

Harry blushed, remembering what he had thought when Luna had said they would be spending a lot of time in the bank the day before. "Luna's prophecies are pretty good, but she understands them better than I do."

"It's okay Harry. Some of us are thinkers and others are doers. I am a thinker and you are a doer. You just need to let me do the difficult thinking for you. It will make things a lot easier in the long run."

"Professor, what book will I need instead of the one for divination?"

"Just give me your book list. There are several required books for Ancient Runes, but the books are used every year, so if you keep going it amounts to one book a year. Professor Babbling has been the runes teacher for a while, so you don't have to worry about it changing. Let's see: Rune Dictionary, Spellman's Syllabary, Magical Hieroglyphs and Logograms, Ancient Runes Made Easy, and Advanced Rune Translation. That is all of them." The professor finished scribbling out the list using a muggle ballpoint pen to Harry's surprise.

"You use a muggle pen? Why are we forced to use quills and ink?"

"The good reason is that ancient runes cannot be drawn with a ballpoint pen. You need to use a nib pen of some sort or even a rune pen which is used for carving runes. The bad reason is that purebloods feel the need to ignore muggle advancements, even those not disrupted by magic because they feel superior."

"Does that mean that I can use a pen instead as long as it is the kind with a nib?"

"I won't say it's allowed, but if you don't use it during class, then who will know the difference?" McGonagall replied with a conspiratorial wink. "Well, I must be off. Now that I've done my shopping, I have a muggle-raised family to introduce to Diagon Alley."

"Thanks for your help," Harry said as McGonagall apparated away.

"What a coincidence meeting her here," Luna said, "Good thing we came here first. Of course, getting a decent set of casual robes will help with the rest of our magical shopping. After that, we can go into muggle London and get you some proper muggle clothes."

Twenty minutes later, Harry exited the shop wearing midnight blue robes with forest green trim. Luna said it helped to bring out his eyes.

"Next we need to do something about your hair," Luna announced.

She lead him down the street, cut through Wrig Alley and ended up on Aesthetic Alley. The area was covered in stores sporting pink and lace, some of which was in tasteful proportions. They entered a store called Seline's Beautification Charm Salon. Harry did not see a single whisker or pant leg among the patrons. Luna directed him to sit down next to an attractive girl with pink hair who was thumbing through the magazines provided in the waiting area.

"It'll be a bit of a wait, so feel free to chat." Luna sat down next to him an promptly started ignoring him.

After a minute of uncomfortable silence, Harry tried to get up, but Luna forced him back into his seat with a hand on his shoulder. Figuring that he had nothing else to do, Harry picked up a magazine and began to rapidly flip through it.

"Don't think you're going to find any styles in there that will suit you," the pink haired girl chuckled. "Here to do something about those cowlicks?"

"I don't know. Luna said I needed to do something about my hair."

"A little tip for you: If your girlfriend tells you to change something, you'd best do it. It will be easier on you in the long run like that. Though, you might have trouble doing much to your hair. It's not very long. When did you last get a haircut?"

"I don't know. I think my last haircut was when I was eight. My Aunt Petunia gave up after she tried to shave it all off because it would always end up back like this within a day."

"You know what that means, right?" Tonks asked.

"It means something?" Harry asked.

"You're a metamorphmagus!" The girl exclaimed.

Harry screwed up his brow in confusion. "What's a metamorphmagus?"

"You don't even know what you are?"

"I've recently found that there are a lot of things I don't know."

"Well, I'll just have to fix that then. My name is Tonks. Just Tonks. Don't even ask about my first name if you don't want your bits hexes off." Harry shuddered at Tonks's threat. "And, this is a metamorphmagus." Her hair suddenly turned long and blonde. Her face became more oval than heart shaped. Her nose turned up a bit and became more pointed. Her limbs lengthened.

"You changed! It's almost like you used polyjuice potion!"

Tonks grinned. "Nope." Her form reverted. "It's even better because this is undetectable and is permanent. It's a very rare ability. I know at least two people in my family tree had the gift, but I've only heard of one other in all of England. It's nice to finally meet someone else that has the ability."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Tonks. I'm Harry Potter."

"Blimey, you're Harry Potter?" Tonks gasped. "I thought your scar was supposed to be a lightning bolt."

"Yes, I'm the Harry Potter... As for my new facial disfigurement, I went to see a goblin healer. At least this one is less noticeable."

"I have your whole series of books!" Tonks grinned proudly.

"Well I didn't write em, and no one ever asked me what my life was like, so I have no idea who wrote them. And, I've never done anything those books say, so don't even bother asking."

"So you didn't slay a dragon while you were still wearing nappies?" Tonks asked mischievously.

"Of course not!" Luna interjected, "You you'd have to be thick to believe that. He was merely knocked out by the smell of the nappies. How else would you explain the lack of a body?"

Harry stared at Luna for a moment. "I'm kind of disturbed at how much sense that made, even if it isn't true."

"Well, now that we have the dragon story sorted out, weren't you going to teach Harry how to use his abilities?" Luna asked.

"I suppose that would be a good idea. Wouldn't want him to accidentally kill himself," Tonks agreed. "There are three things you need to remember before you try anything. First, leave your squishy parts alone. Brain and heart changes are pretty much suicide. Make sure that any transformations leave room for these and your other internal organs. Second, be careful of your weight. There is this math thing called the cube square rule. Basically is means doubling your height quadruples your weight and it really sucks to break your legs because you were too stupid to widen the bones enough. Third, if you don't know how it works, don't mess with it. But, if you do know how it works, and you get injured, you can use your abilities for regeneration. Once I lost a finger, but I managed to grow it back. I was changing my height too much and didn't give my body enough time to adapt, so I got a bit more clumsy than usual and had an accident with a cutting curse." Tonks paused for breath. "Any questions about the safety rules?"

Harry shook his head.

"Alright, well, your transformation is a lot like transfiguration but on the inside. Picture what you want then really will it to become what you're picturing. Start with color, first hair then skin then eyes. Then work on length of hair and fingernails and the style of your hair. Then work on small changes. Then just get bigger and do more at once. And be careful not to forget what you look like or else you'll not be able to get back to what you consider normal. I started training when I was young, so I don't remember what I am supposed to look like anymore."

"I don't think I'll have that problem. There's enough merchandise to remind me what I look like. Otherwise, I can just find a picture of my father and give him my mother's eyes."

"So, why don't you try something easy. Make your hair blond." She conjured a mirror and held it in front of his face. "Look at yourself in the mirror. Fix that picture in your head, then alter it so that the hair is blond instead of black."

Harry focused on the image he saw in the mirror then closed his eyes. He could still see his own face clearly in his mind. He tried to add blond hair to the image. Unfortunately, the thought of blonde immediately shifted his hormone addled mind to thinking about Luna and the sight he'd received when he'd woken up. He clearly pictured the dirty blonde hair, cascading over the pale skin of her cheek. Her silvery eyes had been peeking out at him between her half closed lids. Her lithe and slim figure contorting to stretch herself awake, pushing the budding feminine chest out towards his face.

"I think you did a little too much there Harry."

"Though I would say his looks definitely improved," Luna giggled.

Harry's eyes snapped open to see Luna's face staring back from the mirror. With an unmanly yelp, he pushed himself away from the mirror, laying back into the real Luna's lap. She looked back at him with an amused smile before reaching a hand out to grab his chest, specifically his new right breast. Then she proceeded to grab her own.

"You have a very good memory. They are exactly the same shape and size."

"You think he managed to get the work done downstairs as well?" Tonks asked.

"I'll check," Luna said, slipping her hand under the hem of his pants.

Harry did not want to know. He slammed his eyes shut and pictured himself. He pictured black hair, green eyes, a flat chest, a lightning bolt scar, and a manly implement between his legs of respectable size... Maybe even a little more respectable than it had been before.

Little Harry was soon enveloped in Luna's small hand which gave it a delicate squeeze, waking it up. "I'm pretty sure this was smaller last night."

"I'll say, Harry. That is pretty impressive for a boy your age. You gotta be careful though. Augment that too much and you'll find the sight of your girlfriend causes you to faint as the blood rushes away from your head."

Harry blushed brightly. Maybe he had augmented himself a little more than he thought. "I don't know what you're talking about!" With a quick moment of focus, the erect flesh in Luna's hand reduced to a more normal size.

Luna gave him another quick squeeze. "Hmm... Close enough, I suppose." She released him and removed her hand, leaving him uncomfortably aroused.

"Well aren't you lucky." Tonks laughed at his predicament as he tried to adjust his pants. It would have been easier if he sat up, but Luna had begun stroking his hair and he found that he rather liked the feeling of it.

"Does that mean that I could actually transform myself into a girl and get pregnant? Or that you could become a father?"

"No. Your body may gain the compatibility, but your hormones will remain a mans. Your brain will have no idea what to do with the changed organs. I suppose that if you transformed your gender before your brain and body set, then it might be possible. Of course, at that age, I was lucky to change my hair color, and didn't have the medical knowledge to do more than superficial changes."

"Well, look at the time," Luna said, "Since you no longer need haircuts, it's time to move on to our next errand. We'll need to contact Ted Tonks and find out about any legal matters that have to be dealt with."

"My Dad is your solicitor?"

"Well, if your dad was Ted Tonks, he's the one who signed all the papers that Gringotts has on file, so he was my parent's solicitor at least," Harry replied.

"I'm pretty much done here. I can apparate you both to our house and introduce you. To tell you the truth, things are actually right slow for him most of the time. Most people don't want to hire a muggleborn, even if he is fully qualified."

"Why doesn't he just work as a muggle solicitor then?" Harry asked.

"He does that too, but even wizards can't obliviate their way out of a muggle courts and taxes all the time. We need representation too. It's better to work with someone who knows both halves of the business if you want the job done right. Now, both of you grab a hold of my arms if you want to hitch a ride."

The two teens grabbed on, and moments later they were in front of a modest two-story home.

"Da! You got company!" Nymphadora yelled as she swung the door open.

"Nymphadora, is that you?" A fairly attractive, middle-aged, brunette bustled into the hallway to greet them.

"Hi mum. I'm back." She blushed in embarrassment at the use of her full name.

"And, who are these... Is that?..."

"Mum, meet Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood."

"Nice to meet you ma'am," Harry greeted.

"You really do have a talent with cleaning charms..." Luna said, glancing around dreamily, "For a second I thought you may have been Ms. White..."

Andromeda Tonks looked at the girl oddly for a moment. "Well, it's nice to meet you as well, I guess." She shot the girl a few odd glances as she directed the group to the sitting room. "Why don't you all sit down. I'll fetch some tea and cakes to keep you occupied until my husband sees fit to grace us with his presence."

"Soo..." The elder of the two metamorphs tried to think of a conversation starter that didn't involve the death of her guest's parents... It was a surprisingly difficult task. "Is it true that Slytherin's beast was a snake?"

"Yes, a humongous basilisk."

"Basilisk, as in dead-if-you-look-at-it basilisk?"

"That's the one. It's a good thing that indirect looks only petrify. We really got off pretty light. No one died this time." Harry replied.

"It killed someone before?"

"Moaning Myrtle. School almost closed until Voldemort accused Hagrid's acromantula of being responsible and got him expelled, winning an award for special services to the school for his efforts. That's why the minister put Hagrid in Azkaban last year. Everyone knew Hagrid had nothing to do with it, but the buffoon had to be seen as doing something."

"I bet Hagrid would have thought the bugger was cute and cuddly if he had found it first," Tonks chuckled then sighed, "Hagrid is a great guy. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he's got more heart than a man twice his size – if such a man was even possible. I never understood why he didn't just go to one of the other magical schools. If all else failed, he could have put on a dress and attended Beauxbatons as a girl. Most magicals that get expelled from Hogwarts just continue their education somewhere else or hire tutors."

"You can do that?"

"Of course. You really think the old dark families would allow their kids to run around like squibs when they still have their magic?" Tonks explained, "The only real problem is for the muggleborns. When their wands are snapped, their parents are obliviated. Parents tend not to believe in magic when they can't remember their kids performing accidental magic or any of the information relating to Hogwarts. All they know is that they spent a load of money sending their kid to a private school where they got expelled. Having the kid start spouting off about magic then usually results in them going to a looney bin."

"Once again, muggleborns get the shaft," Harry sighed.

Andromeda Tonks returned with a tray of tea and some snacks. Her husband followed soon after. The two female Tonks' quickly filed out of the room, giving them some privacy.

"Hello, Mr. Potter, I am Ted Tonks. It's nice to meet you. And, who might you be Miss..."

"Luna Lovegood," Luna replied, shaking his hand, "It's a pleasure to meet the man you've been turned into."

Ted Tonks looked unsettled by her greeting. "Of course... What brings you to me?"

"I visited the Goblins yesterday and found out some disturbing things, like the fact that Dumbledore has been stealing my inheritance."

Ted sighed. "I really won't be able to do anything about that. Even if I brought up charges, he's the head of the Wizengamot and would never prosecute himself. Besides, I really can't believe that Albus Dumbledore would do something like that."

"I didn't think anything could be done about that. I've already worked out a scheme with the goblins to keep the rest of my money out of his hands. For now, since I was raised in the muggle world, I was wondering if there was anything I needed to be aware of. You were the best choice of person to consult since you were my parent's solicitor."

"Mr. Potter, I was never your parent's solicitor."

"But you name was on all the documentation they showed me at Gringotts."

Ted Tonk's eyes widened and he whipped his head towards Luna. "W-wait a moment..." He stuttered as he pulled himself out of his chair. "I need to check something..." He strode out of the room muttering under his breath. He returned several minutes later looking very pale and carrying a manila folder. "It seems that I've been obliviated. I keep a muggle safe under a fidelus charm and make copies of all my files every quarter, storing the originals in the safe. I found the folder for the Potters there, but not in my main filing vault."

"Like a backup copy?" Harry asked.

"Precisely. No self-respecting pureblood would consider such a muggle concept. Someone manages to break in once in a while to ruin my ability to help a client, but after the second time I came up with this and it hasn't failed me yet." He opened the folder and spread out a set of papers. "I only handle personal matters, so I don't know who handles legal affairs for the companies you own a stake in. I assume each keeps their own solicitor on retainer. This pile here are minor personal matters, petitions, and such that come up in everyday life. None of them should be of any interest to you whatsoever at this point. The only thing I have here that you really might be interested is your parents wills. There are multiple copies, older versions, and ones that activate depending on certain conditions." He leafed through them, mumbling as he read the introductory paragraphs. "Okay, I think this is the one that applies. To be executed if both your parents dies in their home and you survive. It says to follow the bequeathments in the main will except those to Peter Pettigrew, their secret keeper and betrayer. That's not good."

"What do you mean?"

"Sirius Black just broke out of prison. He was imprisoned for supposedly betraying your parents location to Voldemort, which he would not be able to do if this is true." Ted Tonks mumbled irritably and began searching through the documents and chose one. "Sirius Black is selected as Harry Potter's Godfather and agrees to do all in his power to protect and look after Harry Potter's best interests until he comes of age. It's a magically binding contract." Ted Tonks bit his lip nervously as he returned to the will. "Should the Potters be unable to look after Harry Potter, guardianship shall go to Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Frank and Alice Longbottom, any magical family that swears the same oath as his Godfather, and in no circumstances is he to come into contact with Lily Potter's sister or the family thereof." Ted Tonks closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

Harry slumped down as he heard each piece of information. Someone had deliberately set out to make his life a living hell. Luna pulled him down so that his head rested on her lap and began stroking his hair soothingly. It was the only this that kept him from exploding.

"All this, so many lives ruined, just so I would be forced to spend my life with the Dursleys. Damn that Albus I-have-too-many-freaking-names-and-titles Dumbledore!"

"You think Albus Dumbledore is responsible?"

"He's responsible for everything else," Harry hissed angrily.

"If that is true, then there is nothing I can do about it because he would never rule against himself."

"Well, I know one thing, I am not going to go back to the Dursleys' house no matter what happens."

* * *

Eventually, the conversation with Mr. Tonks ended with him being placed on retainer and asked to look out for Harry's legal well being, including setting up a few dead-man switches in case any obliviation occurred again. After this, Luna suggested they go back to Diagon Alley and look at trunks.

"If you're not going back to your relative's house, you'll need a trunk with a few extra features," Luna explained as they entered a small travel shop.

"How can I help you?" The owner queried s they entered.

"I need a new trunk with some special features." Harry said.

"Then you came to the right place. My name is Lewis Gage, and I specialize in custom trunks. Why don't you describe what you're looking for?"

"One standard compartment and multiple space-expanded compartments linked together, two of which need to be furnished as one room apartments in which a person could live for up to a year without leaving. One should be furnished as a study with auto-organization and search library charms. One should be magically sealed so that magical detection and tracking spells will be ineffective and fortified for dueling. Each compartment should be able to be secured by blood, magic and/or password as Harry requires. It should have build in shrinking and featherlight charms. And, it should be nigh indestructible. So, what color do you want it to be?"

"I don't know... Maybe something like that?" Harry pointed to a black trunk with almost-black silver bindings.

"Ukrainian iron belly dragon hide and heavy lodestone. That will go a long way towards the nigh indestructible requirement. Though, the lodestone will add quite a bit to the cost. It's a bit of a misconception that lodestones disrupt magic, making them great at tasks such as ward breaking. The truth of the matter is that they are in fact the most magically stable objects in existence. They absolutely refuse to change their magical properties unless you overpower their inherent stability, which of course requires a lot of runes and a rather powerful ritual. But, once enchanted, especially with shielding charms, it's almost impossible to break the enchantments."

"That sounds perfect," Luna said, "Also throw in anything you think might be useful for one to three people living as fugitives out of a trunk."

"I suppose you'll be wanting it to stretch time while you're inside and be able to travel anywhere in the universe with the tap of a wand?" The shopkeeper asked sarcastically.

"That would be useful. Can you do that?" Harry asked.

"No, time magic is outright illegal and portkeys are heavily restricted. I'd build one if I could. I've always wanted to be like The Doctor."

"Doctor who?" Luna asked.

"Precisely," The shopkeeper replied smugly, "Usually purebloods just don't get that. Would it kill them to flick on a telly once in a while?" He cursed under his breath.

"Well, that will be a bloody big amount of money."

"He can afford it," Luna said, "But he'll need it before September first so he can take it to school. He'll need it after Halloween."

"It'll take me a week if I had no other orders and worked on nothing else. As it is, I should be able to complete it by mid-September and will owl it to you when it's finished. I will just need you to authorize the payment." He wrote some figures on a sheet of parchment. "Just sign this and take it to Gringotts. They'll send me an owl if your transfer is successful."

"Thank you," Harry said, looking irritably at the rather large figure, "Would it be acceptable if I set up a payment plan, such as two-hundred galleons a month until it is paid off? The goblins will vouch for me."

"That's something that you'll need to work out with the goblins. I start work when I get paid."

"Okay. I suppose that is acceptable." Harry turned to Luna. "Back to Gringotts before turning in for the night?"


	4. TUESDAY AUGUST 31, 1993

**TUESDAY AUGUST 31, 1993**

The morning was far less pleasurable than his first with Luna had been. Like the night before, she had wandlessly stunned him them put them both into the bed without clothing. Harry found himself to be rather chilled. Luna had managed to turn herself around, both wrapping the entire sheet around herself like a cocoon and sticking her feet into his face. Harry hopped out of bed and quickly pulled his clothes on before coming to a sudden realization. He whipped around to face Luna who was still cocooned but was smirking naughtily.

"You woke up before I did, didn't you," Harry accused. Luna didn't even bother to answer. "I didn't have any Skelegrow potion last night. Why did you stun me?"

"Otherwise you would have insisted on attracting twin lynchflingers. Their antics are not pleasant when they find that someone isn't dressing to their needs. Plus, I wanted to see what else you changed with your metamorph abilities."

Harry blushed, wondering what ways he had used to examine him. "Well, are you going to get dressed? I thought you were looking forward to using me as a dress-up doll in the muggle stores before we finally get around to actual school shopping."

Luna blushed, then started bouncing and wriggling around. "It's as I thought," Luna announced authoritatively, "I'm stuck."

Harry sighed and helped her escape her cloth prison. "We need to get our shopping done today since we need to be at the train tomorrow."

"Well then... To Harrods!" Luna exclaimed.

* * *

"Luna, I don't think this is the best place to shop," Harry said as he looked at the display.

"Nonsense, this is the perfect place to shop."

"I know I am rich, but really, four-thousand pounds for a pair of shoes seems out of even my price range."

"Well, I'm not telling you to get those ones, now am I?" Luna asked. She grabbed a pair of shiny black boots from the shelf. "Only three-hundred pounds and you'll look like a proper person with more money than they can spend. Not to mention the fact that they are highly durable." Luna dumped the boots into his arms, along with a collection of other seemingly random pieces of clothing.

* * *

Luna and Harry returned to the alley looking much better than when they had left. Frankly, Harry was glad that Luna had not meant the dresses for him, even if he was set back several hundred quid due to her own selections. Once they were in the alley, she began to perform an odd little dance where she skipped circles around him, twirling around occasionally.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked.

"It's a traditional dance my mother taught me. It's supposed to ward off... Oh... Too late."

"Potter, you look..." Malfoy drawled as he strode up in front of them, "Acceptable..." He sounded surprised.

"Thank you, Malfoy. Luna has been helping me learn what the head of an ancient and noble house should do, since Dumbledore decided to obliviate anyone who even had a remote chance of teaching me these things. Frankly, I should have listened to you more in first year, you actually gave me some decent advice and I'd have been much better off if I'd taken it to heart."

Malfoy smirked arrogantly. "Of course. I was merely trying to be helpful."

"Well thank you for that. In fact, if your father wasn't continually trying to get me killed we could probably be friends."

"After you freed Dobby, I don't think he'll stop anytime soon," Draco chuckled, "My father will be here soon. You'd best run along."

"It was... not unpleasant seeing you today. I hope we can remain at least neutral to each other."

"We shall see," Draco said dismissively.

Harry and Luna moved towards Flourish and Blotts.

"You freed the Malfoy's house elf?" Luna asked.

"They were terribly cruel to him. I wanted to get them back for releasing the basilisk on the school, and Dobby was in terrible shape because of their abuse."

"You do know that a house elf relies on their master's magic to survive. If they don't serve anyone, they will eventually run out of magic and die."

"You mean I condemned Dobby to death?"

"If he can't find a master. Most families wouldn't be willing to take on a free elf because it means that they are incompetent enough that their master couldn't use them and each house elf will put a small drain on your magic and weaken you."

Harry picked up his ancient runes textbooks which were piled conveniently on a table and paid for them before heading back to his room.

"Dobby!" He called, hoping the house elf could hear him.

With a sharp crack Dobby appeared in front of him. "Harry Potter, sir, called for Dobby?"

"Is it true that free house elves will run out of magic and die?"

"Yes, sir, Dobby will only live for one more year if he does not find a master."

"Would you like to work for me?"

"Harry Potter wants Dobby?" the house elf exclaimed, hopping up and down in excitement. Then he flung himself into Harry and began to cry. "Harry Potter is truly a great wizard. Dobby knew it!"

"So, do you know how this works? Do I need to do anything?"

"Dobby doesn't know. He was born into the bad master's family."

"Why don't you check your Merlin books?" Luna suggested, "House elves are no longer Fey, perhaps the one on intelligent creatures."

Harry retrieved 'The others: Intelligent creatures and how to get along with them', flipping directly to the empty pages in the back. "Tell me about house elves." Harry said. The page began to fill with text detailing the history of house elves, how they used to be related to wood elves until they went to war against wizards and were almost driven to extinction until they swore eternal servitude to wizards. Over time, the magic of the oath twisted their bodies and minds until they were adapted to servitude. "How do I accept a house elf into my service?" Harry asked.

"Please refer to Volume 12, 'Oaths, obligations, and the true nature of magic' for information relating to house elf oaths and bonds." The book replied.

Harry opened the indicated book and asked again, only to find that there was not one way but several to accept a house elf. Harry immediately ruled out the bond of pain and the bond of death. The bond of blood was better, but there were dangers associated with it that he didn't want to risk. He sighed. It seemed like all of the bonds were created by dark wizards. "Luna, which one should I use?"

"It's your choice," Luna said, "It won't make a difference."

"Dobby, you're the one who will have to live with the consequences of this, so why don't you pick?"

"Harry Potter will let Dobby choose? Harry Potter is a great wizard. Dobby is the luckiest elf in the world! But Dobby can't decide. If the oath of loyalty was used, then Dobby would better know how to serve Harry Potter. If the oath of empowerment was used, then Dobby would be better able to serve Harry Potter."

"Is it possible to modify or combine house elf oaths?" Harry asked the book, receiving a comprehensive description of the rules that needed to be followed when creating a bonding oath. Harry took one look at it then handed the book to Luna. "A little help?" he begged, "After all, you're the thinker and I'm the doer, right?"

Luna giggled, then pulled out the fountain pen that had been purchased during the excursion to the muggle world. Harry watched in fascination as she wrote snippets on seemingly random areas of parchment. Eventually, they combined to form two rather long oaths. "Both of you sit on the bed facing each other. Dobby, place your hand over Harry's magical core," she instructed.

Dobby placed his hand on Harry's chest.

"Now, read this," Luna said.

"Dobby pledges to serve his master, Harry Potter. Dobby pledges to serve with his life. Dobby's mind shall be his master's. Dobby's strength shall not wane as long as his master lives. Dobby will serve his master, Harry Potter. Dobby's loyalty shall be to his master. Dobby's desires shall be for his master. Dobby will serve Harry Potter. Dobby pledges himself to the service of Harry Potter. Will Harry Potter accept Dobby's service?"

"Place your hand on Dobby's head," Luna instructed, "And then read this."

"I, Harry Potter accept Dobby into my service. I will share my heart with Dobby. I will share my mind with Dobby. I will share my strength with Dobby. I accept Dobby into my service. I will provide for Dobby that which he needs to serve. I will provide for Dobby that which he needs to live. I will provide for Dobby what else I will. From this day forth, Dobby will serve me and my house until I thrice say, let our bond be broken. So mote it be!"

The effect was immediate. Harry felt his power drain rapidly. He had never felt such a powerful drain on his magic before. He wondered if that was the reason why the oaths from the book had been so simple. Dobby was actually glowing from the amount of power he was absorbing. Then, it was over and Harry collapsed in exhaustion.

"Dobby," Harry said, "I have an order for you... You are to keep yourself as healthy... as reasonably possible. That means, you... eat, sleep, rest, get... medical attention, or whatever as needed. Causing yourself harm... would reduce your ability to serve me, so you are not allowed to punish yourself." Harry closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Once in a while, Harry became semi-aware as potions were poured down his throat.


	5. WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 1993

**WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 1993**

Harry woke up feeling a warm pressure on his chest. He cracked open his eyes, hoping to see Luna in her normal sleepwear. He yelped and fell out of bed when he saw the bulbous green eyes staring back at him.

"Is master, Harry Potter, sir, alright?" Dobby asked. He was already looking remarkably more healthy. "Mistress Looney said that Master Harry Potter was accustomed to having someone sleep with him, so Dobby thought he would help Master Harry Potter to sleep."

"It's fine, Dobby, I was just surprised. I was expecting to see Luna, so seeing you there was a bit of a shock."

"Mistress Looney said that you were finished shopping, so she had to go home and pack." Dobby informed him.

"I guess I should pack too. I will need to be at King's Cross station before the Hogwarts Express leaves."

"No need," Dobby said, "Dobby has already packed all of Master Harry Potter's belongings and has prepared breakfast." Dobby snapped his fingers and a covered tray floated onto Harry's lap.

"One more thing, Dobby, 'Master Harry Potter, sir' is kind of long. Just call me Harry unless I am in a meeting or somewhere formal."

"Master wants Dobby to call him by his name like a friend! Harry Potter, sir, is the bestest master ever!"

Harry began eating. "Have you eaten yet?"

"Of course not, Master Harry, sir. House elves don't eat until their master is finished."

"Get some food and eat with me then. Everyone in my house will eat together."

"Master is too kind!" Dobby leapt onto Harry in joy, knocking over his breakfast. "Oh, no! Dobby messed up master's breakfast! In punishment, Dobby will –"

"Clean it up and make a new breakfast. Remember, no punishments. If it is something small like this, just fix the problem. If it's expensive or dangerous, then ask what I want to have done."

* * *

Rather than take the Knightbus or a taxi, Harry had Dobby pop him right into the train. This avoided both the crowds and his so-called friends. He didn't see Luna on the train yet, so he chose an empty compartment to wait in.

"I'm fine for now, Dobby, why don't you go to Luna and see if she wants any help."

Five minutes later, Luna popped directly into his compartment, followed soon after by her luggage.

"Thanks for sending Dobby. There's a big edition of The Quibbler coming out and daddy was worried he wouldn't have time to finish. I told Dobby that he could help with my house until you called him since you aren't allowed to bring personal elves to school."

The two chatted for a while until a middle-aged man poked his head in. "I'm the new defense professor. Mind if I join you?"

"Are you planning to kill me, obliviate me, torture me, frame me for crimes, or steal from me?" Harry asked.

"Definitely not!" The man replied. He had sandy hair and a short mustache and was wearing clothes almost as bad as Harry's used to me.

"Then, you're welcome to join. I'm Harry Potter, and you are?"

"Remus Lupin." He held out his hand to shake and Harry obliged.

"You were friends with my dad," Harry said, "Assuming Dumbledore doesn't obliviate my solicitor again, you'll soon be getting what my parents left to you."

"Err... I don't need any charity," the man replied.

"Well, you can explain that to my dad the next time you see him. I'm just making sure that his will is executed."

"Thank you, then. I hope it doesn't put you out too much."

Harry raised his eyebrow quizzically, "You are aware that my family is rich, right?"

"Well, I knew you're fairly well off. I never asked how much exactly."

"It's enough that Dumbledore has been siphoning off the money in my trust vault, and I am still richer than when he started."

The man frowned. "Dumbledore can't be that bad can he?"

"He bound my core last year," Harry said. Professor Lupin swore. "For the second time." This brought out a growl and Harry could have sworn the man's eyes flashed amber. "He framed my godfather and put him in prison without a trial so that he could force me to live with the one family my parents said I was never to meet."

"The Dursleys?" Lupin asked.

Harry nodded. "Now that I know, though, I won't be going back."

"And Sirius is really innocent?"

"He is my godfather and I have a magically binding contract that proves that he could never have betrayed me or ever act against my best interests, as well as my parents will which specifies that Peter Pettigrew was their secret keeper and Sirius Black was a decoy."

"Are you going to be safe at school?"

"I don't know. I'm hoping he won't try anything. I should be fine while I am awake. I am more worried about what will happen at night."

"Why don't I teach you a simple alarm ward then. It should warn you if someone enters your room or comes near while you sleep."

Harry was surprised at how easy it was to learn the spell. There was a swish, a jab, a twist and a flick followed by tracing a line with his wand while chanting, "Intenti Intrusores". He placed the ward on the door and soon found himself feeling a strange tickling in his magic that forced him to pay attention.

"Potter," a familiar voice said as the door was thrust open.

"Malfoy," Harry replied.

"I see you really have dropped the weasel and mudblood,"

"It doesn't mean I suddenly approve of that word," Harry replied.

Draco sniffed contemptuously. "And, I don't suddenly feel the urge to stop using it."

"And I think that the use of that word will result in a loss of points if it continues," Professor Lupin interjected.

Draco looked at the man with a sneer at his worn clothes. "Who might you be?"

"Professor Lupin, the new defense teacher."

Draco bit back a smart comment about Remus's lack of wealth. "It's a pleasure..." Draco lied, then slammed the door closed.

"Pleasant boy, that one," Remus deadpanned.

* * *

The train slowed to a stop with the screeching of brakes.

"What's going on?" Harry asked, it was far too early for them to have arrived.

"Nothing good," Professor Lupin answered grimly, "You know professors usually do not take the train to Hogwarts. We made an exception this year in case something like this happened." The air seemed to gain a deepening chill and frost began lacing the edges of the windows. "The ministry sent dementors to search for Sirius." The man stepped out and closed the door of the cabin, locking it. "Don't come out or unlock the door unless you recognize the person outside." The lights flickered off.

Over the next few minutes, Harry heard lots of people crying out in fear. Some screamed and others cried. A rustling came from outside the door and a slow purposeful knock shook the door.

"Who's there?" Harry called. Luna was clutching at his arm and whimpering. Harry heard a woman screaming. He began to feel weak.

"No! Not Harry!" He heard the woman's voice cry out.

"Mommy..." Luna whimpered, "Wake up..."

Harry heard a voice he was all too familiar with. "Stand aside. I am only here for the boy."

"Not Harry! Take me instead!" The woman's voice begged.

Harry's vision was darkening. He could see the redheaded woman now and recognized her. It was his mother. Voldemort stood facing her.

"If you're so determined to die, Avada Kedavra!" Green light lanced out, striking Lily Potter in the chest. She collapsed to the floor, dead. "Now it's your turn. Avada Kedavra!" Green light shot towards him, but he couldn't move or even speak.

"Expecto Patronum!" Warmth returned to Harry's being with the spell cast by Professor Lupin. "Expecto Patronum!" The memory faded, replaced with the reality of him laying on the floor of the cabin.

Luna was curled into a ball and sobbing. Frankly, he felt like doing the same thing. He didn't even remember how he had ended up on the floor. Harry climbed shakily back onto the seat and pulled Luna into a hug and allowing her to cry into his chest. He knew that if what she had seen was even half as terrible as what he had, then she would need it.

The door soon unlocked and the professor entered with a grim expression on his face. "The dementors were really desperate to get in here. It took a lot to drive them away." He pulled out a bar of chocolate from a pocket, unwrapped it and gave a quarter of the bar to each of them. "Eat this. It will help."

Harry took a bite. Remus Lupin was right. He felt the lingering cold begin to fade. Luna had made no move to eat hers, so Harry broke off a small piece of his chocolate and forced it through her lips. He shivered when he felt her tongue graze against his finger as if searching for more chocolate. He repeated the feeding, though this time there was no need for force.

"Feeling better?" Harry asked. He received a weak nod in reply.

* * *

There was a large commotion when they arrived at Hogsmeade. It was precisely the kind of distraction the students needed after the events on the train. A battalion of goblins was waiting in strict military precision. Most were obviously warriors, though there was little difference between them and the workers. Standing at the head of the formation was a goblin that Harry recognized immediately.

"Griphook!" Harry greeted, jogging over to the goblins. "Are you here to collect the basilisk?"

"We are, though Dumbledore was not happy when we informed him. He seems to have developed an acute dislike for the goblin nation since he started receiving special priority service."

"What is special priority service?" Harry asked.

"Why, it's the kind of service where anyone else will get priority regardless of how long he's been waiting. I suspect the old man will figure out that owl service is the only way he will receive timely responses eventually, but that is only because we have mandated response times set by collaboration with the Ministry of Magic."

"I wonder if he knows the goblin language. Are there any regulations about what language you must reply with?"

"I'll be sure to check. You would have made a great goblin if you weren't a wizard."

Harry grinned, then closed his eyes, imagining what he would look like as a goblin. "Who says I can't be both?" He returned himself to his normal appearance.

"You are always full of surprises aren't you?"

"I blame the fact that no one bothers to get to know me before they assume they know everything about me."

"A fact that any good goblin would take advantage of."

"What you don't say says more than what you do," Luna agreed, "Shall we go begin dismembering a dead basilisk?"

A flash blinded Harry for a second before he noticed Colin Creevey snap another photo of him with the goblins.

"Mind if I bring someone to record this event?" Harry asked.

"As long as he doesn't get in the way, we'll have no complaints."

"Colin!"Harry beckoned his number one fan over. "We're going to grab the remains of the basilisk I killed last year. Want to take some pictures of it before it is rendered?"

"You're going to take me with you to the Chamber of Secrets?"

"Well, if you'd rather stay, I'd understand." Colin had, after all, been petrified by the creature.

"This will be awesome..." He suddenly gained a look of nervousness. "What about Ron and Hermione?"

"I learned what they had been doing. We're no longer on speaking terms. Feel free to hex them if they try anything, I'll even back you up if I'm there."

Colin grinned.

The group headed along the road to the castle gates where Dumbledore and Snape were waiting.

"Harry, my boy," Dumbledore said, "Why are you leading a large group of goblins to the school?"

"When I went to withdraw some gold, I told Griphook here about my adventure last year and he told me about my... What was it called again?"

"Right of conquest," Griphook supplied.

"And there's no point in leaving the body to rot when I have so little in my vault." For a moment, Harry saw Dumbledore grimace.

"Of course not, my boy, that would indeed be rather wasteful. Perhaps you would donate some of the ingredients to Professor Snape for the good of the school."

"Basilisk parts can be used in potions?" Harry pretended to be surprised. "I would set aside some of it for the school, but I am afraid that I already signed the contract, and I didn't keep ingredients for myself. I am sure the goblins will gladly negotiate a fair price if you go visit them at the bank."

Harry bit his lip to hold back his laughter at the look of consternation on Dumbledore's face at the suggestion.

"Very well then, go ahead and show the goblins the way, but make sure you get to the great hall in time for the feast."

"I will, professor."

Harry, Luna, Colin and the goblins headed up to the second floor girl's bathroom.

"Welcome to the bathroom of Moaning Myrtle, and the proof that Slytherin was a pervert!"

"Harry! You came to visit, just like you promised." The transparent figure splashed out of one of the toilets, flooding the floor with water.

"Good afternoon, Myrtle," Harry replied.

"You brought a lot of people with you too." Myrtle looked around. "Where are the two rude ones?"

"Ron and Hermione are not my favorite people at the moment," Harry said sourly.

"You're welcome to spend more time here with me," Myrtle offered.

"Err, um, thanks," Harry replied. He would have rather the ghost be moody as usual instead of flirting with him. "This is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets." Harry indicated a small serpent carving on a non-functional sink. §Open!§ Harry hissed in parseltongue, half surprised that he still had the talent since he no longer had his scar, at least not his real one. The sink descended and revealed a twisting slope.

"The snake is down there. I really should have brought a broom with me. I don't think Fawkes is going to lift us all out this time."

"Have you tried asking for stairs?" Luna asked.

"Err..." Harry coughed nervously. §Stairs!§ The stones that made up the sloping ramp twisted until the slide was replaced with a spiral staircase. "I suppose that does make things easier." Harry began the descent.

The hall at the base of the stairs was just as grimy as it had been before. Rat skeletons still crunched under his feet with every step.

"The house elves don't come down here too often do they?" Colin asked sarcastically as he snapped a photo. The goblins took a much grimmer view as they saw the remnants of the cave in.

"This tunnel isn't stable." Griphook frowned. A couple of the workers quickly began transfiguring the bones and fallen rocks into supports, clearing the path in the process. "That should suffice for now." He pointed to a group of the guards who soon got to work fixing up the tunnel now that it was relatively safe. "This work will have to come out of your portion of the profits."

Harry nodded. "That's acceptable, assuming I get a good rate, after all, this benefits us both." They walked down to where the cave in had been and looked at the shed skin. "Is that worth anything?"

Colin took a photo of it after gasping in shock.

"It can be used in clothing for those who wish to have the basilisk hide look, but it has lost its magical properties." A goblin took out a leather satchel, which was apparently bigger on the inside, and began to stuff the old hide inside.

The group continued to the snake themed vault-like door. §Open!§ Harry hissed again, causing the door unlock and roll aside. Through the door was a large open cavern. Water dripped from the ceiling and pooled in trenches that followed the side walls. Columns of stone arched along the walls, providing support and disguising the basilisk-sized tunnels that riddled them. Next to the door they entered by was a large statue of Salazar Slytherin. In the middle of the cavern was the body of the basilisk.

"There it is," Harry said.

"Can you stand beside the head so I can get a comparative photo?"

Harry moved and posed heroically by the snake. When Colin was done taking photos of everything, he headed back towards the great hall so that he wouldn't miss dinner. Harry went up to the statue and said, §Speak to me Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts four!§ The mouth of the statue opened and Harry climbed inside. The tunnel was long. He followed it for a few minutes, but didn't find anything and didn't want to be too late.

"Dobby!" Harry called.

"Dobby is here, Master Harry?"

"Are you able to pop in here without me calling you or do the wards stop you?"

"It is more difficult, but Dobby can do it."

"When you have free time, can you explore the chamber of secrets for me. Draw a map of all the tunnels and mark any place where you find the image of a snake, a statue, or anything else different?"

"Dobby can do that. Dobby will work night and day until he is finished!"

"Dobby, you will sleep and eat properly," Harry said, "And be careful; Not all of the tunnels are structurally sound."

Dobby looked disappointed at the order.

"It's not anything time-sensitive, so if Luna's dad has something for you to do, you can do that first and it won't matter. It's just that it seems silly to build this entire chamber with all the protections it has just for one big snake and I'd like to find out what else is here. You may not find anything at all."

"Dobby will do his best!"

* * *

When Harry returned to the great hall, dinner was well under way. He and Luna separated. She went to the Ravenclaw table while he went to the Gryffindor table. Harry looked for a spot. There was one by Ron. He immediately decided to pretend that spot didn't exist. There was also a spot between Neville and a first year who bore a striking resemblance to Colin Creevey. It seemed like a decent enough spot, and frankly, Harry didn't think Neville had the confidence to deceive anyone.


	6. WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 22, 1993

**WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 22, 1993**

Harry woke up to his alarm going off. Someone was approaching his bed. Perhaps Ron had decided to get revenge or Dumbledore was planning to obliviate him in his sleep. He grabbed his wand from next to his pillow then threw open the curtain. There was no one there except for Ron's pet rat. This was the ninth time that Scabbers had woken him since he had started using the alarm ward. Once he had awakened to a confused Neville who had gone to the wrong bed after using the loo.

Ron, so far, had been content to ignore him, perhaps fearing the flack he would get from the rest of the student body since it was no secret that the golden trio was no more. Harry had actually come to talk to several more students who had seemed friendly enough, even some of the Slytherins.

Draco had been especially nice, at least nice for him, since Harry had knocked him away from the hippogriff he'd been stupid enough to insult after being told this would likely result in serious injury or death. He had also paid more attention to Hagrid's instructions after that. Buckbeak had been quite apologetic to Harry for the slash marks on his forearm, but it had taken Madam Pomfrey only a few minutes to seal the wound. After that, Harry began reading up on anatomy, wanting to be able to avoid going to the hospital wing as much as possible.

It was too late to fall back asleep, so Harry got up and prepared for the day, vowing to ask Professor Lupin about making the spell ignore animals. He was actually quite surprised that Neville's toad Trevor had not set off the alarm with the amount that he escaped.

After showering and dressing, Harry headed to the western tower on the fifth floor.

"You know you're not a Ravenclaw, the avian door knocker said."

"And yet, it doesn't seem to matter if I can answer your question, and I'd much rather wait for Luna on a comfortable chair than on the cold stone steps."

"Very well. What flies without wings and crawls without legs, it cannot be seen but shows with age."

Harry though for a minute. The knocker always started students with easy riddles but never gave a student the same riddle twice, so Harry was still being quizzed like a first year. "Time," Harry replied.

"Very well then," the knocker replied.

Harry entered the common room. It was less inviting than the Gryffindor common room. There were more desks with straight-backed wooden chairs, bookcases, and other study aids. In one corner was a larger-than-life statue of Rowena Ravenclaw which bore the inscription, "Wit without measure is man's greatest treasure."

"Mr. Potter."

Harry flinched and spun around to see the diminutive Professor Flitwick who had entered through another door.

"Have you decided to switch houses?"

"I can do that?" Harry asked.

"Only in the case where the student's life may be endangered if they do not change houses," Flitwick replied with a sigh, "I am alerted whenever someone not of my house enters the common room, and I do not particularly enjoy being woken up at five in the morning."

"Neither do I, but my alarm ward keeps triggering off of Ron's rat."

"That is odd. Most wards do not trigger for animals. Why don't you show me which spell you've been using?"

"Intenti Intrusores!" Harry drew a line on the ground.

"The intruder ward. That spell only detects the presence of someone who doesn't belong. For example, I'd be willing to bet that Miss Lovegood would be able to walk through that ward and you wouldn't notice a thing."

"Then why would Ron's rat set it off?"

The professor furrowed his brow for a few moments. "It really doesn't make any sense. No rat should set it off."

"So, you're saying Scabbers isn't really a rat?"

Professor Flitwick frowned. "This is troubling. Who would want to hide as a rat... Only someone desperate. Either way, something must be done. Expecto Patronum!" Silvery light in the form of an owl burst from his wand and disappeared through the walls.

"That was the spell Professor Lupin used to chase away the dementors!" Harry exclaimed.

"Yes, that is a NEWT level spell known as the patronus charm. It forms happiness into an almost tangible form. It is effective at repelling dementors, lethifolds, and other creatures that feed on negative emotions. It's also useful for sending messages that cannot be intercepted with a little bit of practice."

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry's wand produced nothing.

"You need to focus on the happiest memory you can. If it isn't strong enough, you will only get a faint mist or nothing at all."

Harry though of the first morning he woke up next to Luna, remembered the feeling of acceptance that she was there with him, her cute little smirk, the way his body reacted as she stretched. "Expecto Patronum!" Silvery light burst out of his wand and formed a strange, hairy, pig-like creature with a pair of horns that formed the shape of a snail shell on the sides of its head.

"Mr. Potter, that was very impressive. I can only imagine what Miss Lovegood did to cause such a happy memory."

"What makes you think it was a memory about Luna?" Harry asked.

"The same thing which leads me to believe you're a metamorphmagus."

Harry blushed and quickly reverted himself to his normal appearance.

"What animal is that anyway?" Harry asked, watching the creature trot along, prancing around the room until it faded.

"I am not sure. Perhaps some form of pygmy sheep or goat?" Flitwick suggested, "Its form can vary depending on your emotional state and the memory you use, though it is normally pretty consistent unless life altering events occur.

A large dog of some sort appeared through the wall and Professor Lupin's voice came from it. "The rat is Pettigrew. Tell Harry that we may be able to clear his godfather if we can capture him alive and Dumbledore doesn't interfere. Meet me at the Gryffindor common room."

"I take it there is more to this story?" Flitwick asked.

"That depends on how much you support Dumbledore."

"He is my boss in this school, but he cannot order me to bring harm to students or allow them to come to harm."

"No, he'll just obliviate everyone involved and pretend nothing happened while somehow making my life worse."

Flitwick frowned. "If what you're saying is correct, no one short of the minister of magic himself would be able to do anything, and he consults the headmaster regularly."

"I know. Being chief warlock of the wizengamot is a sweet deal. You can throw anyone into Azkaban and there's no oversight."

Flitwick look troubled. "You wait here for Ms. Lovegood. Professor Lupin and I will deal with the rat problem."

Harry sunk down into one of the chairs. "Thanks for the help, professor."

* * *

Harry was jolted awake by a stinging hex to see a Ravenclaw prefect glaring at him.

"What's your problem?" Harry asked.

"There is a dress code in this common room. Blue and black only."

Harry yawned. "Might want to check yourself then. Your shirt is white."

"I mean, this area is reserved for Ravenclaws."

"Professor Flitwick knows I'm here. It's fine so buzz off."

"Ten points from Gryffindor for being out of bounds," the prefect huffed before stalking off to grab a book to read before breakfast.

A few minutes later, Luna came prancing down the stairs. "Hello Harry! Early morning?"

"Hopefully the last for a while," Harry replied.

"Shall we go eat then?This place is infested with whippering giblets."

"That sounds wonderful."

"It's important to get an early breakfast since it's the most exciting meal of the day, after all, who knows what the morning will bring."

"The twins planning something?" Harry asked.

Luna just smiled serenely. Harry never knew if he had interpreted Luna's cryptic predictions properly, and she never told him, but it was still fun to guess.

The two headed down to the great hall and sat at the Ravenclaw table. It was a common enough occurrence for a couple to sit together, though it was frowned upon by the others at the table.

Breakfast passed peaceably until it was time for the mail to arrive. A gray barn owl swooped down to drop a package into Harry's thankfully empty plate. Harry grabbed a slice of bacon from a still full platter and tossed it to the owl before reading the folded card that accompanied it.

"Here is your new trunk as specified. It is formed with lodestone and black Ukrainian iron belly dragon hide.

"Upon receiving the trunk, immediately place a drop of blood in the mouth of the carving on the top of the trunk, tap it with your wand, then speak your master password. This will set the security for the security enchantments. Once this is done, you may change the security settings for any compartment of the trunk by repeating this process, then tap the latch for the compartment you want to modify the security for, including the security carving. Then add any blood, tap with any wands and speak any password you desire. Tapping the carving again will end the process. If no blood, wands or words are used, the security will be removed.

"The trunk is protected by shield charms that will reflect any spell back at the caster as well as powerful cushioning charms and slowing charms that should prevent anything short of a giant from causing damage to it. Any unauthorized persons attempting to access the trunk will receive a stinging hex, a stunner, a cutting curse, a blasting curse, and then a bombardment curse upon successive attempts at entry. The controller of the security charms will also be notified with an alarm ward. The counter measures will reset to their lowest level upon successful entry into any compartment.

"The first latch opens the normal sized compartment. This is the compartment you should reveal if you are confronted by muggle security.

"The second and third are small apartments. Each has a double bed, a dresser, a shower, a toilet, a table, a cold box, and a cupboard that contains two place settings and self-heating cookware.

"The central latch leads to the study. It includes four self-organizing bookcases, a table with four chairs, a couch and doors leading to each of the other expanded compartments. The doors will require the same security to enter as the latches.

"The fifth is a training room. It is magically sealed so no magic can enter or leave while the doors are closed, including any traces or tracking charms. If the owner is in the room, he will not be able to detect the activation of the alarm wards. The walls floor and ceiling are charmed to self-repair. A marked range has been specially fortified to allow practicing potentially destructive spells. A box of target balls and two auror-grade training dummies are also included.

"The final two are large but unmodified compartments.

"The trunk will never weigh more than ten pounds due to the weight reduction charms. To shrink the trunk or expand it back to its original size simply press on the security carving. Since the compartments are actually expanded extra-dimensional space, the shrinking and growing has no effect on the contents of the trunk. However, should the trunk be destroyed, such as with fiendfyre, any objects or people stored within will be irretrievable.

"Thank you for your business. Sincerely, Lewis Gage"

Harry passed the note to Luna.

"It seems he has gotten all of our requests. We should set up the security before someone tries to steal it."

Harry and Luna went to a nearby empty classroom where Harry unwrapped the small package which was no larger than a chocolate frog box. It was black and silver, though the details were hard to see. Remembering what the note said, Harry pressed the silver lump that decorated the top of the box. It clicked downward like a button, then the trunk expanded so rapidly that Harry tossed it away from himself. The trunk spun away from him, but righted itself as it slowed to a gentle stop as it touched the ground.

The trunk was made in the shape of a treasure chest. The faces were all solid black scales, but the edges and corners were ensconced in riveted bands of dull silvery metal. On the front of the trunk were seven latches that did not seem to be connected to anything. The central lock has a decorative backing plate that somewhat resembles a ball of fire. On the top of the trunk, a tracery of metal formed the upper torso of a dragon. In the middle, starting from the band a carved spine traveled up to the halfway point where it connected to the back of a skull. The skull had a single needle-sharp tooth which Harry assumed was to draw blood. If nothing else, the trunk looked pretty damn cool and bad-ass.

Harry went about setting up the security. For master key, Harry used his blood, wand, and a parseltongue pass phrase. He then called Dobby. He gave Dobby sole access to one of the empty compartments, telling him that it was his to do with as he pleased until they had a real home. He then added himself and Luna to the other compartments by both password and magic. He didn't need to add Dobby. Dobby could access every room except the training room with elf apparition after he'd been there once. It didn't even matter if the trunk was moved, Dobby could still pop in.

* * *

Professor Lupin stopped Harry after class and asked him to wait. He was not looking well at all.

"Are you alright, Professor?" Harry asked.

"Just a little under the weather. I'll have one of the other professors sub for a few days and I'll be fit as a fiddle again. Don't worry about it; It happens all the time."

Harry wasn't convinced. "If you need anything, I'll be happy to help," Harry offered.

"I'll keep that in mind. Now, for the reason I called you here. This morning, Professor Flitwick and I tried to capture that rat that has been waking you up. As I suspected, it was Pettigrew." He sighed tiredly. "He managed to escape by transforming into a rat again and disappearing into a drainpipe. He's dangerous. If you see him, stun first and ask questions later."


	7. SUNDAY OCTOBER 31, 1993

**SUNDAY OCTOBER 31, 1993**

Harry sighed as he ate tidbits of the Halloween feast. Well, more like picked at than ate. Everyone around him was celebrating, but all he could think of was that this was the day his parents died. After the incident with the dementors, he could now remember his mother's death clearly. To make matters worse, it was a formal event so he was not allowed to sit with Luna. The only bright side was that he finished his potions regimen a few weeks ago, so there were no nasty potions for him to force himself to ingest.

In fact, now that he thought of it, he could remember a lot of things more clearly. He was top of the class in ancient runes after flipping through the books once, much to Hermione's chagrin. If there were not a practical aspect, he suspected he could take his NEWTs and pass right now. He hadn't bothered attending History of Magic classes. They coincided with one of Luna's breaks and he could pretty much recite the book word for word.

Dessert appeared. He looked at the treacle tart that sat in front of him. It was his favorite, but he had no appetite for it right now. Since the feast was basically over, Harry stood up and headed for the door. It was better to just go to bed and let the day end than wait for whatever terrible thing fate, or Dumbledore, had in store for him.

Luna met him at the door and dragged him into the classroom to give him a hug. "Feeling better now?" She asked.

"A little. It's just hard to see everyone celebrating the fact that my parents died."

"Actually most people don't even think of that part. They just want to pig out on food. No one short of the teachers is even old enough to remember what it was like when Voldemort was in power."

"And, thanks to the dementors, I can..."

"Well, I guess you just need to make some happy memories then." Luna was smirking with barely contained excitement.

"Yeah, I think you're right," Harry said, then kissed her.

"Were there some nargles about? I really should have noticed, but I guess I let down my guard since there's no mistletoe around. To be safe though, I think you need to work extra hard to drive them away."

Harry didn't need more encouragement than that as he leaned in and kissed her again. He rather liked the feeling. Harry lost track of everything except snogging Luna as their kisses became more natural and deeper with practice.

It all ended when a most unwelcome voice echoed through the school. "All students return to the great hall immediately! Sirius Black has been spotted within the castle!"

"My godfather is so getting pranked for this when I find him," Harry grumbled.

"I'm sure that will be very educational."

Harry and Luna returned the short distance to the dining hall where the tables had been removed, replaced by rows of sleeping bags.

"Mr. Potter, you had us worried sick," Professor McGonagall chided when she saw him arrive. "Sirius Black tried to break into the Gryffindor common room. He slashed up the fat lady's portrait with a knife when she wouldn't let him in. You must be careful."

"I'm not worried about Sirius Black. He can't hurt me."

"Mr. Potter, he is a maniac who killed a dozen muggles as well as one of your father's best friends."

"Show me the records of his trial where he confesses under a truth potion, then maybe I'll believe that, but he still won't be able to hurt me. He's my godfather. He signed a magical contract to do what's in my best interests."

"Mr. Potter, I don't know where you got an idea like that, but you must stay away from him. Now, off with you and find a spot to sleep."

"Wrackspurts seem to be congregating on her tonight," Luna commented, then led him to a quiet corner where two unclaimed sleeping bags were located.


	8. SATURDAY NOVEMBER 20, 1993

**SATURDAY NOVEMBER 20, 1993**

It was the first quidditch game of the season for Gryffindor. They were facing Hufflepuff. With an entire team of veterans, Gryffindor's chances were looking good for the season. This, of course, did not mean that Oliver Wood was anything less than a slave driver during their frequent practices.

Unfortunately, the weather was absolutely horrendous. It was bordering on zero degrees and freezing rain poured down in torrents, making visibility almost non-existent. Harry was just glad that he no longer needed glasses. They would only have made playing in this weather that much more difficult.

The stands were practically empty in comparison to their usual overflowing occupancy. There were more umbrellas than students. Hagrid's bright pink umbrella stood out like a sore thumb among the sea of black.

Harry could just make out that Madame Hooch was saying something, but couldn't hear it over the roar of the rain. He only knew the match had started because he saw Oliver lift off before him.

As Harry rose into the air on his trusty Nimbus Two-Thousand broom, the winds picked up. As he rose higher, the wind buffeted about so fiercely that he feared he would be thrown from his broom, especially as he was quickly losing the feeling in his hands as they grew numb from the cold.

He could barely see the other players moving about below him. The brown bludgers blended well into the storm, making them both difficult for the beaters to hit and for the players to avoid.

The quaffle was much easier to see. It was larger and bright red. Even that disappeared from Harry's view frequently.

As Harry circled the pitch, he had no idea how he was going to find something like the snitch which most players has trouble spotting on a clear day. Harry squinted his eyes and peered around, trying to ignore the splashing of raindrops against his face. Then, he had to swerve suddenly as Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff seeker seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Sorry about that," Cedric yelled, "Can't see a bloody thing."

"Glad I'm not the only one," Harry replied, though he wasn't sure if her could be heard over the howling of the wind which was getting even colder.

Harry focused everything he had into his eyes, and that's when it happened. The rain ceased to matter as all the players and balls lit up with arrays of light. The players were like small glowing balls of fire, while the balls were wrapped in glowing halos of runic letters. The brooms were the same. Harry was shocked so badly that he almost fell off his broom and the glows disappeared. It had been enough though.

Harry streaked up into the sky as fast as his broom could carry him, his eyes focused on the little golden ball. As he approached it, he head a scream, his mother's scream. That meant dementors. He reached for his wand. That was a mistake. A single numb hand was not enough to keep him attached to his broom.

He began to fall as he saw Cedric race past and grab the snitch. Cedric hadn't noticed the dozens of cloaked figures descending on him until it was too late. They grabbed Cedric, dragging him off his broom. Harry focused on his memory of snogging Luna.

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry shouted as his strange looking patronus leapt from his wand and flew into the midst of the dementors, scattering them. He hit the ground.


	9. TUESDAY NOVEMBER 23, 1993

**TUESDAY NOVEMBER 23, 1993**

Harry felt like he'd been run over by a bus. His whole body ached. At the same time, it felt like he was about to burst. He looked around. He was in the hospital wing. Luna was not by his side. His wand was on a nearby table. He tried to wandlessly levitate it to himself, but he barely had the strength to move it despite feeling so full of magical energy. He could think of only one person to blame, Dumbledore. He was certain his core had been bound, and without the parasite to absorb the excess energy, his core would soon explode and either kill him or render him a squib.

"Dobby..." Harry called. The elf appeared.

"The great Harry Potter calls for Dobby?" the elf asked, seemingly surprised.

"Why are you acting so strange?" Harry asked.

"Dobby never dreamed that Harry Potter would want to speak to Dobby."

"You're my elf, who else would I call?"

"No, Harry Potter Freed Dobby from bad masters. Dobby is... No Harry Potter is Dobby's master, but Dobby is not remembering."

"Dumbledore must have obliviated you," Harry said, "I don't know why he didn't obliviate me, but he bound my magical core. You need to take me to Gringotts, quickly before my core explodes."

Dobby's eyes widened in alarm. "Dobby will do it for master Harry Potter, sir." With a crack, the two disappeared.

Harry and Dobby appeared in the lobby of Gringotts.

"Griphook, the goblin over there, take me to him." Dobby levitated Harry over to the aforementioned Goblin's line. Once Griphook finished with the customer he was servicing, he closed his line, to many impatient wizards' disappointment.

"Harry Potter," Griphook greeted, "What brings you to Gringotts Bank today?"

"I need a healer, fast." Harry began to tremble. He could feel the magic building up. "Core is bound, about to explode."

Griphook took a look at Harry. "No time?"

Harry shook his head.

Griphook took a length of chain and waved his hand over it. "Both of you grab the chain. Harry and Dobby grabbed the length of chain. It suddenly felt like someone had lassoed his stomach and was trying to pull it out. A moment later, they were in the hospital waiting room and Griphook went to talk with the clerk on duty.

"Fangcutter is off today, but I've sent for him. He left specific instructions that he was to be the only healer to treat you. Elf, take Mr. Potter and follow me."

"His name is Dobby," Harry said.

"Your life is in danger and you're worried about my politeness towards your elf? You're an unusual wizard." Griphook led the way to the room that looked like a torture chamber. With a wave of a finger, the patient stool became a operating table. "Dobby, please place him down there."

"Yes, Mister Griphook, sir," Dobby levitated Harry into place and released him.

"Dobby," Harry said, "I'm worried about Luna Lovegood. Please bring her here immediately."

"Dobby remembers Master's Looney!" Dobby popped away and returned moments later with a startled looking Luna.

"Where am I?" Luna asked.

"You don't remember this place?" Harry asked.

"No, I've never seen it before, but I know I've been here."

"Do you remember what you did the last three days of the summer holidays?"

"Hmm... I seem to have acquired an infestation of wrackspurts."

"No, I think Dumbledore just obliviated you."

"I suppose that would explain it as well."

"I wonder why he didn't obliviate me as well since he obliviated you and Dobby."

"I suspect that he did, but it didn't work," Fangcutter said as he entered the room, "Emergency today?"

"Dumbledore bound my core again. It's worse than before."

"Well, I'll take care of that first. You seem to be in rather bad condition."

"Luna, even if you can't remember what happened, I want you to know that I hope we can continue keeping the castle free of nargles."

Luna gasped in surprise before Fangcutter knocked Harry out.

* * *

Harry was revived later with his whole body tingling in pain.

"How do you feel?" Fangcutter asked.

"Like every bone in my body is being regrown with Skelegrow," Harry groaned.

"None were that badly damaged. Only a small amount was needed to repair numerous fractures to your whole body. So, have you any guesses as to the modifications I made to you last time?"

"I remember things better now. I memorized all of my textbooks."

"Good. I was trying to replicate what the muggles call eidetic memory, or perfect recall. It gives you a partial resistance to memory charms as well."

"I, during the quidditch game, people were glowing. The brooms and balls were covered in runes..."

"Your eyes can see magic then. Excellent. Can you see it now?"

"No, it only happened for a second."

Fangcutter sighed. "I suppose you'll just have to practice that one. I think you'll find it especially useful when you learn runic enchanting. Have you discovered the third enhancement?"

Harry shook his head negatively. "I would have guessed my metamorph powers, but I only found out about them because of something that happened before I met you."

"Maybe it just hasn't set in yet." Fangcutter grumbled unhappily. "Just stay here. I'll be back in two hours to check on you."

"Is there any way to retrieve Luna's memories?" Harry asked before Fangcutter left.

"If she is confronted with something strong enough, her brain may break through the charm. I recommend a pensieve to show her your own memories of what happened." Fangcutter walked out the door, leaving Harry with Dobby and Luna.

"Dobby, can you please find a store where I can get a pensieve?"

"Dobby is happy to help! Dobby will search every magical market in the world if he has to." Dobby popped away.

Luna blushed. "Were we really snogging?" Luna asked rather straightforwardly.

"Did you see the spell I cast at the quidditch game?"

"It looked like a silvery light that chased away the dementors."

"It uses a happy thought... I used the memory of us snogging."

"Can you show me?"

Harry pulled out his wand. "Expecto Patronum!"

Luna's eyes widened and she gasped before screaming, "It's a crumple horned snorkack! We need to take a picture of this for daddy's paper!"

"I guess that finally explains it. Professor Flitwick thought it was some sort of pygmy sheep." The silver creature flew over to Luna and nuzzled her. She gained a euphoric smile.

"I can feel the way you feel for me," Luna said, "this is so wonderful. I need to reward you somehow."

Harry grinned happily as she leaned over and kissed him. "I thought you didn't remember being my girlfriend."

"You're Harry bloody Potter. You could have any witch in school if you asked. I'm not going to let a little thing like amnesia keep me from snogging my famous, rich, attractive boyfriend. Especially with your new clothes, I really like them."

"You'd better. You picked them out."

Luna snorted with laughter. "So what else have we done?"

* * *

Fangcutter returned and pronounced Harry fit to leave, though he had been issued a new potions regimen.

Harry and Luna returned to the lobby where Griphook pulled them aside before they could leave.

"I thought it might be prudent to take you down to your vault. Your new basilisk hide armor came in a week ago and I thought you might like to see it."

"That would be great, Griphook. Did you find a good armorer to make it?"

"Mr. Potter, do you really believe that we would leave something like that to a mere wizard? We had our best smith forge your armor."

Griphook led them into one of the carts and they took off along the roller coaster ride of dips and bends before coming to a stop at vault six-eight-seven. The vault door looked different than the last time he had been here. Where there had once been a keyhole, there was now a flat panel.

"Place your hand on the door."

Harry did as he was told and felt a sharp prick before a loud thunk shook the door and it began to slowly swing outwards. The inside was much different than he remembered it. The pile of gold was taller than him and was more than half as wide as the entire vault. There was also a large pile of a strange type of bar-shaped coin he had never seen before.

"What are these?"

"Those are platinum ingots. They can't be taken outside of the bank, but each is worth one thousand galleons. We also have bricks of rhodium worth one million galleons. We have not yet had reason to create currency larger than that. We keep the gold represented by these special currencies in our highest security vault built below Ragnok's throne room. It cannot be accessed except by Ragnok himself. Attempts to try will result in being cast into the molten core of the earth, no exceptions."

"That sounds rather unpleasant," Harry said, "Well, let's see the armor then."

They walked around the piles of coins and found the armor. It was impressive. The basilisk scales had somehow been turned black. The shape was form-fitting, but was ribbed with metallic spines along the joints, forearms, shins and spine that just screamed danger. The edges of each plate was trimmed with a dull silvery metallic substance. They included metal pauldrons that resembled the serpent that adorned his trunk as did the accompanying helmets.

"Did the creator consult the man who made my trunk?"

"Yes, actually, he did. He felt that it was only proper for your accessories to match. The scales have been plated with obsidian-infused mithril. It will allow you to blend into shadows quite effectively and will look quite impressive in the light." To demonstrate, Griphook took one of the gloves and placed it into the shadows where it became almost invisible. If Harry hadn't seen it happen, he never would have known the glove was there. "It also increases the protective qualities of the basilisk hide. The trim is a combination of lodestone and mithril. You should be able to knock aside any spell short of a killing curse with it. It's enchanted to fit the wearer until they die."

"When Luna said she wanted us to have the best armor possible, you really took her seriously."

Luna beamed happily.

"And yet, we still made a massive profit," Griphook said, exposing his fangs, "You should try them on. I'll give you some privacy."

Harry wasted no time in stripping to his knickers, then tried to figure out how to don the armor. He tried several times, but could not get everything to fit. "A little help?" He asked.

Luna stopped watching the show and quickly got him suited up. He was fairly certain, however, that the squeeze she gave him while fitting his codpiece was not entirely required, not that he was going to complain.

"So, how do I look?" Harry asked.

"Like a dark lord, but you need a sword or a staff."

"Sure, I'll just hold out my hand and a sword will appear." Harry joked, quite surprised when the Sword of Gryffindor actually appeared in his hand. "Well, that was convenient." He slid the sword into the waistband of the armor. "I'll need to get a sheathe for that."

Luna nodded. "Very attractive. You pull off the bad boy look well."

"Are you going to try on your set?"

"Are you going to turn around?" she asked.

"Not if you don't ask me to," Harry grinned, "After all, we will have seen each other naked many times, what's the point of being self-conscious about it now."

"Makes sense," Luna said, then stripped off her clothes, revealing that she wore no undergarments.

"You worry about twin lynchflingers during the day as well I see."

"No, it just makes me feel all tingly inside knowing I'm the only one not wearing anything under my robes."

Harry blushed as Luna expertly assembled her armor. "You're right, it would definitely look better with a weapon."

Luna grinned seductively, "I'm sure that you'll find a staff for me to wield some day."

Harry shivered in excitement at the innuendo, then handed her the sword of Gryffindor. "Looks good, Dark Lady Luna."

"Yes, the fitting charms are working nicely." Griphook returned from around the pile of gold. "I see the sword has chosen you as its new owner. The goblins reacquired that sword twice before. Every time it manages to escape and end up in the hands of one of Gryffindor's descendants. We didn't put any enchantment like that on the sword when it was forged and we have no idea how it does that."

"Is there a sheathe that goes with it?" Harry asked.

"No, but it can be used in the stead of a wand. The ruby in the guard is actually a spell focus. I can have a matching sheathe made for it if you are willing to pay."

As Harry handed over the sword, Dobby returned.

"Dobby has found a shop that sells pensieves."

"Good work Dobby. Can you take us there once we leave the bank?"

"Dobby will."

"I guess it's time to go then. Shall we change?"

"Oh, yes. You'll need long wavy hair, and a few interesting scars."

It hadn't been what he had meant, but Harry was more than happy to alter his appearance for a while if Luna told him to.

They exited the vault and headed out into the lobby. A few people were slightly unsettled by the appearance of what looked like a dark lord and dark lady. A couple went so far as to faint, causing Harry to sigh at the way the wizarding world judged things by appearances. Once they left the shop, Dobby grabbed their hands and they popped to a new place that they didn't recognize. They could not even recognize the writing on the sign, though it seemed to resemble a mix of Cyrillic and Latin characters with strange accents.

"In here?" Harry asked.

Dobby nodded.

The shop seemed to specialize in runic arts. In addition to trinkets covered in runes, there were several tablets with runic writing on them.

"I can tell this shop has a lot of female clients," Harry said as he looked at a wall covered in small charm plaques on ribbons. Each one had a runic form of love carved onto it."

"Yes. Those are popular with the young women, though it seems your lovely lady friend does not need one of those." Harry flinched as the shopkeeper spoke in a thick guttural accent as he appeared next to him.

"No. I do not believe that those will be necessary. My lady must but speak her hearts desire and I will do what I must to grant it." Harry tried to act the part of a dark lord.

Luna beamed happily.

"Of course," the shopkeeper said, "What brings you here today?"

"I am told that I can acquire a pensieve here. Is this true?"

"Yes, of course, milord. We have quite a selection. Our lower end models can contain but a single memory. Our more expensive models can hold dozens and include features such as pausing, skipping, and time acceleration within the memories."

"Isn't time magic forbidden?" Harry asked.

"It is heavily regulated, but then I doubt someone as important as yourself would feel obligated to uphold such restrictive regulations."

Harry grinned. He liked this shopkeeper. "We will test your best model."

The shopkeeper took them to the back room where a selection of items of dubious legality was available. One shelf held a selection of pensieves.

"This one has all the features I mentioned, plus –"

Harry cut him off. "I want this one." It was smaller than the one the shopkeeper had been showing him and make of white marble. Carved fey decorated the bowl wherever runes were not carved. On the sides were two handles in which held the reason he had chosen it. The carved handles were carved with runes that read 'Created by Meryl Brokus'.

"Are you sure?" the shopkeeper asked, "This higher end model is..."

"I'm sure. This is the one."

"It's not the newest model and it was made by a muggleborn woman," the shopkeeper tried a final time to change their mind.

"I have decided. This one is the one I want. You will sell it to me."

"Very well. If you insist. That model costs five thousand..." The shopkeeper paused a moment and looked into Harry's eyes. "Err... I mean five hundred galleons."

"Very well." Harry took out his pouch and counted out five hundred galleons. "Let us take our purchase and leave."

"Of course milord," Luna said, obviously enjoying the role playing.

"Sir, if I may, what name shall I put on my purchase logs?"

"You do not recognize him? The serpent charmer, master of snakes, the toxic terror, Lord Sanies Sibilus, the immortal terror of ten-thousand generations?" Luna shook her headsadly as if she were insulted by the very thought.

"You are fortunate that my lady requires my attentions, or else you would feel my displeasure for such an insult." Harry could not keep a twitch from curling up the corner of his mouth which seemed to frighten the shopkeeper more than the vague threats. "We depart now."

Harry took Luna by the hand and led her into a shadowed alley across the street then drew his wand. §Serpens Sortia!§ He hadn't meant to cast the spell in parseltongue, but it seemed to have made it more effective. A strange two-headed snake with a black body and toxic green markings appeared. The snake looked at him and hissed angrily.

§Hello,§ Harry greeted.

§You're a speaker?§ the snake asked.

§I am,§ Harry replied, §I have a task for you.§

§What task do you have for me?§

§That shop across the street. I want you to let the owner see you a few times and hiss at him when he's alone. Do not put yourself in danger, just scare him a little bit.§

§Two juicy rats and I will perform this task for a day.§

Harry took out a few galleons and handed them to Dobby. "Go to a pet store and get two large rats for my little friend here please."

Dobby popped away and returned a few minutes later with two rats held by their tails. They began squirming frantically when they saw the snake, but their movement was quickly stopped by the eight pairs of venomous fangs in each of the mouths.

§Tasty,§ the two heads hissed simultaneously.

§What type of snake are you anyway? I've never seen one like you before.§

§A hydra.§

§Like, cut off a head and two grow in its place hydra?§

§I only lost my head once,§ the snake replied proudly.

"Are hydras rare?" Harry asked.

"Not as rare as basilisks, but much less common than dragons. They are supposed to be very loyal if you befriend them," Luna answered.

§I will send Dobby to bring you to me tonight, then we'll figure out where you want to go and how to get you there, okay?§

§Very well, speaker, I will be here after the sun sets.§ The hydra slithered towards the store they had bought the pensive from.

"Do you think this is taking the prank too far?" Harry asked.

"Not at all," Luna answered, "A proper dark lord needs to build up a reputation."

"But I'm not actually a dark lord..."

"But he doesn't know that."

Harry sighed. Luna's logic could be frustrating at times.

"So what made you pick that pensieve anyway?"

"Who wouldn't want the personal pensieve of Merlin himself? Dobby, can you take us to my room in Gryffindor tower?"

Dobby popped them away and they appeared in front of a suddenly terrified Neville.

"Hello Neville," Luna greeted cheerfully, "Harry you're still wearing your dark lord face. I think it's time to switch back."

"Oh, sorry, I forgot." He changed his face and hair back.

"Harry, what's going on?"

"Just Dumbledore being Dumbledore, binding my core, obliviating me and my closest friends, etcetera."

"And that made you decide to become a dark lord?"

"No, I just came into some new basilisk hide armor and decided to play a little prank. Well, we've got to go return some memories now." Harry indicated the pensieve. "Talk to you later. Harry opened the middle compartment of his trunk and entered, followed by Dobby and Luna.

Harry placed the pensieve on the table and, after reading the accompanying instructions, rapidly began dropping memories into it. After about a half dozen, he stopped.

"Since I've been in school, Dobby, there really isn't much for you to remember, so you can go first." Dobby stuck his finger into the silvery liquid memories and was sucked into the pensieve.

While Dobby was in the pensieve, Harry took the sixth book of the Merlin series from his sparsely populated book shelves and opened it to the back page.

"Tell me what I would need to know to care for a hydra." He sat down in a chair and Luna read with him over his shoulder.

* * *

**Hydras**

_Hydras are a species of magical snake that can be any size greater than two inches in length as they do not stop growing until they are killed. They are most widely known for their ability to grow two heads when one is removed. They tend to prefer warm humid climates and highly magical areas. Their skin is not resistant to blade nor magic, though their most prominent ability makes the former far less of a threat. What is not commonly known is that Hydras will absorb magic to strengthen themselves which makes any spells cast against them far less effective. Their venom is not particularly poisonous, but is one of the most corrosive substances known._

_Despite their multiple heads, hydras are notoriously single minded. Once they accept a task, they will put their entire life and effort into completing it. They are loyal to a fault to those that gain their respect, but terrible enemies to those that irritate them or trespass into their domains. They will often bite any perceived threat before they see the threats intentions._

_Hydras are highly coveted by potions masters. Their heads contain several standard snake-type ingredients that can be used in potions as well as their venom, eyes and brains which can be used in some rare potions. A potions master in possession of a hydra would have a near infinite supply of these ingredients._

_The best ways to deal with an aggressive hydra are with flame and ice. A hydra head removed with fire will not regrow. If you do not wish to kill the hydra, cold will put the snake into a somnolent state._

_A hydra will eat any animal that it can fit in its jaws. Smaller hydras will eat insects and rodents while larger ones will eat sheep, cattle or even humans. They will usually avoid any food that puts up a decent fight. Despite their multiple heads, a hydra need only be fed a single creature that is two-thirds the size of their head once every two weeks._

_If bitten by a hydra, it is recommended that the affected flesh be removed before the corrosive venom spreads. There is no way to neutralize the venom that would not kill the victim._

* * *

"I wonder if I can take the hydra as a familiar. It would be nice to have a familiar I can talk to. A basilisk would be cooler, but I would never be able to take it out in public."

"It would fit your dark lord image," Luna agreed.

"And why do I need a dark lord image?"

"Well, Dumbledore is the light lord and he's your nemesis, therefore you must become a dark lord."

"But, I'm not evil," Harry protested.

"Dark does not necessarily mean evil, just as light does not necessarily mean good. Besides, do you really think that you can fix the wizarding world without killing a lot of wizards and witches. The problem with having a wand that can do almost anything with a wave and a few words is that it makes people do stupid things and believe they can get away with it no matter how many times you stop them."

Dobby appeared out of the pensieve at that moment. "Dobby remembers everything. Master Harry is truly a great wizard!"

Harry smiled happily. "I'm glad you're back to normal Dobby. You're a good friend." This statement cause Dobby to begin to bawl as he hugged Harry and babbled about Harry being a great wizard. "I guess it's your turn Luna." Harry dumped a whole slew of memories into the pensieve. "Shall we?"

Harry and Luna dipped their fingers into the bowl and watched every encounter they had had since they had met in the leaky cauldron at the end of August. There were several days of memories, but when they exited the pensieve only a few hours had passed.

"Tempus!" Harry cast the time spell. It was dinner time. "Dobby, can you please get some food from the kitchens? Remember, we eat together because you're part of my house now."

Dobby nearly burst into happy tears again, but nodded and popped away, returning a few moments later with a platters of roast beef, baked potatoes, and mixed vegetables slathered in a thick creamy gravy. Harry moved the pensieve onto one of the shelves so that Dobby could place the food on the tables.

The three began the meal in silence, but eventually Harry got tired of it so he asked, "Dobby how is the exploration of the Chamber of Secrets going?"

"Dobby found many passages. Some lead to different places in the school. Others lead to the forbidden forest. One leads to the lake. The one in the statue leads to a nesting area where Dobby found many eggs in stasis. Some just loop around and return to the chamber. One was a dead end, but it had a snake carving."

"Good job Dobby. How long do you think it will be before you finish?"

"Dobby has only explored half the tunnels. Dobby could be finished in a week normally, but with Master Harry's restrictions, Dobby might be done by February."

"That's great Dobby. I could never have done so well."

They continued eating for a while. "Luna, I just realized that we left our normal clothes in the vault."

"No, Dobby took care of them," Dobby announced proudly.

"Well, that really leaves only one problem," Harry said, "How do we stop Dumbledore from obliviating you two again?"

"We just don't give him the opportunity," Luna said.

"But how did he do it in the first place? Getting you was simple, he just had to walk into your dorm at night and do it. What I don't understand is how he got Dobby."

"I've been telling daddy all about us in my letters to him. If he obliviated both of us, he would have needed to obliviate daddy too, and Dobby was helping him."

"So to keep him safe, you just need to stop telling him about us in your letters, but how do we keep you safe?"

"He won't do anything during the day," Luna said, "If he tries anything in class, there would be too many witnesses."

"So we need to give you a safe place to stay at night."

"Like here," Luna said.

"That's a good idea. We do have bedrooms here. Dobby can just pop you in after dinner. Then we can work together on homework and practicing wandless magic."

"And snogging. Can't forget to practice that."

"No, we'll definitely make time for that. Dobby, I think the hydra should be ready. Can you go wait for him?"

Harry took down the book on familiars. And began reading.

* * *

**Familiars**

_Familiars are animals magically bonded to a witch or wizard. There are four types of familiars: natural, working, bonded, and enslaved._

_Natural familiars are wild animal that keep the witch or wizard company and develop a bond through exposure to the witch or wizard. They will often gain weak magical abilities from their contact with the witch or wizard. These usually occur when a wild animal is rescued, fed, or nursed back to health by a witch or wizard, causing the animal to gain a slight reliance on that person. It is recommended that this type of familiar be bonded or released immediately for the good of the animal as they would not be able to return to the wild after a significant time in human company._

_Working familiars are animals that receive specific enchantments so that they can perform work for a witch or wizard. A common example of this would be a post owl. Working familiars often gain the bond of a natural familiar and will become loyal to or even possessive of their owner._

_Bonded familiars are animals that undergo a ritual to bind themselves to a wizard. This bond will form an emotional connection and share magic between the owner and familiar. Both the wizard and the familiar will take on some characteristics and abilities of the other. Usually, the familiar will gain increased intelligence, magical power, and sometimes a method of communication. Only one bonded familiar can be had in the course of a witch or wizards life as the competing magics would kill them or destroy their magic._

_Enslaved familiars are animals compelled with mind magics to obey their owners. This is often through compulsion charms, loyalty charms, or even the imperious curse. Enslaved familiars are not recommended because they will often attack the one that enslaved them if they manage to break free of their enchantments._

* * *

"How would I bond with a hydra?"

* * *

**Bonding a Serpent**

_Serpents are the familiar of choice for those with the parseltongue ability due to the ease of communication and care. Serpents require little food and magical breeds often live unrestricted lifespans. While other abilities often depend on the variety of serpent, one ability is universal. The bonder will receive complete immunity to the venom of that particular type of serpent and in rare cases gain the ability to secrete venom themselves._

_To bond with a snake, the witch or wizard must have the serpent bite them. Because of this, if no parselmouth is available to tell the serpent not to inject venom, it is not recommended that a venomous snake be used because the bonder may die before the ritual is complete. While being bitten, the user must drink a blood bonding potion (Recipe can be found below). After the potion activates, the user must cast the bonding spell on the serpent. Once the bonding spell is complete, the serpent should inject venom then release the bite. If the serpent is not venomous, the serpent should drip fresh blood into the wound. The two must then remain in contact until the bond completes. This can take anywhere between a few minutes to several hours depending on the strength of the bonder and familiar._

_Blood Bonding Potion:_

_1. Add three drops of blood from each member of the bond to a crystal phial half filled with water._

_2. Stir clockwise with a glass rod until potion is an even pink hue._

_3. Grind eight leaves of hemlock into a fine paste and add it to the phial._

_4. Stir counter-clockwise eight times until a thick purple paste is formed._

_5. Add one phoenix tear._

_6. Stir clockwise twice. Potion should now be a shimmering purple paste._

_7. Scrape paste onto a clean cloth and tie it securely._

_8. Place the bundle into six ounces of cold water in a teacup._

_9. Cast the blood boiling curse on the contents of the teacup._

_10. Allow the potion to steep for eight minutes._

_11. Remove the bundle. The potion should be a deep cloudy red._

_The blood bonding potion will be good for fifteen minutes. If it is drunk after fifteen minutes, it will be poisonous. If the potion is drunk outside of a blood bonding ritual, it will be poisonous._

* * *

"The hemlock is not part of our usual potions kit. In fact, there is a good chance that no reputable store will sell hemlock. There are almost no potions that use it that are not deadly poisons. The phoenix tears will just be expensive."

"Well, I guess it is a good thing I've got money and a dark lord persona to fall back on then."

Dobby returned with the hydra.

§How was the job? Was the shopkeeper scared?§ Harry asked.

§He soiled himself the first time. The second time he closed his shop. Many wizards came searching for me after that, but I remained hidden.§

§Good job. You definitely earned those two rats.§

The hydra hissed happily at the praise.

§So, now we need to decide what to do with you. There are three option. First, you can tell me where you came from or where you want to go and I'll ask Dobby to take you there. Second, there is a lair that belonged to a thousand year old basilisk that lies beneath this school. You could remain there and act as a guardian of the school. Finally, you could become my bonded familiar and give me companionship, protection and the occasional favor in return for power, intelligence, and whatever food, care and comforts that you require.§

§What became of the basilisk?§ the hydra asked.

§He was the guardian of this school, but listened to an evil speaker and attacked the students. Now, he protects me in a different way.§ Harry flicked one of the scales of his armor.

§You killed him with your own hands?§

§He tried to swallow me and I put a sword through the roof of his mouth and into his brain.§

The hydra slithered up to Harry, inspecting him and flicking at his armor with its tongue.

§You are still a child, but have already slain the most deadly of serpents. You are strong, but show compassion to even one such as myself. I do not sense any weakness or deceit from you. I will become your familiar.§

§I must prepare the ritual then.§ Harry turned to Dobby and withdrew one hundred galleons. "I need eight leaves of hemlock and one phoenix tear. Can you please find a place that sells them and get them for me?"

Dobby took the money and disappeared.

§Now, what shall I call you? Do you have a name, or a name you wish to be known by?§

§I am not yet named. I wish to be known as an honorable protector.§

"He wants to be known as an honorable protector. What would be a good name?" Harry asked Luna.

"What about Vindex. It is Latin that can mean protector, champion or avenger. It also sounds like something a dark lord would name a snake, even if the meaning isn't."

§Luna suggests Vindex. Do you like that name?§

§It is acceptable.§

* * *

Luna quickly learned how to perform the blood boiling curse while Harry learned the bonding spell so that they could perform the ritual.

When Dobby returned, he had used all of the one-hundred galleons to purchase the phoenix tear and then gone personally to collect hemlock from wild plants.

"First you need to add three drops of each of your bloods to a crystal vial half filled with cold water.

Harry took a crystal vial from his potions kit and filled it half full with water from the small kitchen in the first apartment. He pricked his finger and let three drops of his blood fall into the water.

§I require three drops of your blood. Do you have a preference for where I should take it from?§

Vindex offered one of his heads because that could always be replaced if something happened. Harry carefully pulled back a scale on the serpent's cheek and made a tiny incision with the tip of his silver potions knife. The wound was so small that he barely managed to get the three drops he needed before it sealed itself.

"Now stir clockwise with a glass rod until it is an even pink."

Harry took a glass rod from his potions kit and stirred. The blood quickly dissolved into the water.

"Grind eight leaves of hemlock into a fine paste and add it to the vial."

Harry used his mortar and pestle to grind the leaves. He was about to add it when Luna stopped him.

"I still see flecks of leaves," she warned.

"Okay, I'll grind it more."

It took several more minutes of grinding before Luna was satisfied with his work and he was allowed to scrape the hemlock paste into the vial.

"Stir counter-clockwise eight times to form a purple paste."

Harry stirred. He was quite surprised that the potion was reacting as the book said. He wondered whether the book was better than what he used in potions class, or whether Luna was just a better teacher than Snape.

"Add the phoenix tear and then stir clockwise twice."

Harry tipped the quarter-sized vial and let the single drop of silvery liquid drip into his mixture, then stirred it as directed.

"Now, scrape that onto a straining cloth and tie it tightly to make a teabag. I'll get you the teacup of water."

By the time he was finished making the teabag, Luna had correctly measured out the correct amount of water into a teacup. He placed the pouch of paste into the water and Luna cast the blood boiling curse.

Over the next eight minutes, deep purple clouds began to billow out of the submerged bag until at the six minute mark the water was almost black. Over the next two minutes blue smoke rose from the surface of the potion until it became a deep cloudy red.

"Remove the bag now," Luna said.

Harry used the crystal stir stick to drag the bundle out of the potion and deposited it on the saucer. "It's finished," Harry said with a relieved sigh. He had been worried that the potion would not be completed properly, but it had gone perfectly and there was no reason to believe that it would poison him if used correctly.

"We don't have much time, so let's start the ritual," Luna suggested, "First have Vindex bite you without releasing his venom."

§Vindex, I need you yo bite me, but do not release your venom until I tell you to.§

§Are you sure about this?§ Vindex asked.

§Yes.§

§Which head should I use?§

§Might as well use both, just to be sure.§

Harry held out his arm for Vindex. The hydra reared back, then snapped forward in a lightning quick strike that sunk its fangs into the offered limb. Harry downed the potion, ignoring the pain of the bite. For a minute nothing happened, then Harry felt pain spread through him like fire.

"Diune Iunctio!" Harry performed a circle with his wand around the two of them, the jabbed towards Vindex. §Now, give me every ounce of venom you have then remove your fangs and remain in contact with me until the spell finishes.§

Harry's arm began to burn as the corrosive venom was injected. Vindex slithered up his arm and wrapped his body around Harry's neck as Harry collapsed into Luna's arms.


	10. WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 24, 1993

**WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 24, 1993**

Harry woke up in the bed of the first bedroom. Luna was curled up next to him with her head on his shoulder. Vindex was coiled on top of his chest. Harry could feel the bond between himself and his snake. It was telling him that Vindex was alright. One thing he noticed as he tried to wake his groggy brain was that he could easily see the magic connecting them with only the barest hint of concentration.

There was a change in the bond and Harry realized that his familiar had woken.

§You survived. It was unexpected. Nothing has ever survived a few drops of my venom, let alone all of it.§

§I had to trust that the ritual was correct. Those books have yet to disappoint me. Do you feel any different?§

§I feel you, and my venom tastes different. I have not yet noticed any other changes.§

§Can you see anything different in me?§

§No, I don't see anything obvious.§

"Tempus!" It was time for breakfast. Food appeared on the table. Dobby must have sensed his need.

"Luna," Harry said, running his hand through her hair. Luna mumbled something unintelligible then settled down again. He ran a finger along her neck and she squirmed, brought to wakefulness by the tickling sensation. She snuggled into him more. "Time for breakfast."

Luna yawned then sat up, twisting the kinks out of her body and giving Harry a new patronus memory.

"You know, a bloke could get used to seeing this every morning."

"Well, since my room isn't safe for me, you might just have to." Luna went over to her trunk which had somehow made it into the room while he'd been unconscious.

"That sounds nice," Harry grinned, "Well, lets eat so that we can drop Vindex off in the chamber of secrets before class.

* * *

Harry was on his way to meet Luna for lunch when he was grabbed and pulled into an empty classroom.

"Harry,"

"Old mate,"

"Our pal,"

"What's going on,"

"Between you and,"

"Our prat of a brother?" The twins, Fred and George Weasley asked.

"As you aptly pointed out, your brother is a prat," Harry said.

"That didn't stop you the first two years here,"

"And now he complains all the time about how horribly you treat him,"

"And how he'd be every so grateful if we pranked you."

"And he didn't happen to mention that Dumbledore was stealing money from my vault and using it to pay him to be my friend and he was chasing away anyone else who wanted to be my friend with threats of hexing? Or that Hermione gets such good grades, not only because of her study habits, but because she receives extra credit from Dumbledore for spying on me?"

"No, Our dear little brother,"

"Conveniently left that part out."

"We want you to know,"

"That we have never had any part of,"

"Nor would we condone,"

"Such despicable actions."

Harry looked at the two for a minutes, scrutinizing them. "I suppose I'll believe you. Be careful around Dumbledore though. He enjoys obliviating people who are friendly with me. I spent last night with Luna restoring her memories with my pensieve."

"I suppose that explains,"

"Why she was in your room last night,"

"But we couldn't find either of you."

"Don't worry about Dumbledore."

"We keep our distance from him anyway."

"He's not good for business."

"You understand, right?"

"Yes, good pranks are best kept away from authority figures until they are set off. But I think I topped you yesterday."

"What did you do?" the twins asked eagerly.

"Why, that's a secret," Harry grinned, "I'll show you one day when my special resources become public."

"I suppose we'll just have to live with it."

"Or sneak around until we find out."

"Have you got a new broom yet?"

"Why would I need a new broom?"

"You don't know?"

"Wood was practically in tears when he found out."

"Not only did out unbeatable seeker get beaten by Cedric Diggory when dementors swarmed the pitch,"

"We lost by the way,"

"And, not only was our seeker so injured that he may never ride a broom again,"

"Glad too see you're feeling better. We weren't sure you'd ever leave the hospital wing."

"But the best broom on the team flew into the whomping willow."

"Nothing but kindling left."

"I suppose you could always borrow a school broom."

"Who are we kidding, he'd be lucky to get into the air, let alone catch the snitch."

"Don't worry. I'll be ready, if Luna ever lets me ride a broom again."


	11. SATURDAY DECEMBER 18, 1993

**SATURDAY DECEMBER 18, 1993**

"Harry, old buddy, old pal," Fred wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulders.

"It's the day of your first Hogsmeade weekend." George ruffled his hair.

"Our little Harry is all grown up." Fred wiped an imaginary tear from his eye.

"Sorry, it's not happening. Relatives would never give permission for something fun, besides, I'm not going to leave Luna here alone."

"Well, that is a bit of a pickle," George said.

"But there is something we can do."

"After all, there is more than one way out of the castle." George winked at Fred conspiratorially.

"Consider it an apology for what little Ronnikins did to you." Fred and George presented him with a bit of parchment.

"Well, thanks guys. Just want I always wanted, an old bit of parchment." Harry squinted at the piece of parchment in his hand. "A very magical bit of parchment... What does it do?"

"This here is something we filched from Filch in our first year during a detention."

"He nicked it from a student he had in detention, but never knew what it was."

"Naturally, we figured it out."

"It's an artifact left over from the four greatest pranksters to ever grace these hallowed halls."

"We present you with,"

"The Marauder's Map!" The two finished in unison.

"Just tap the map with your wand and say 'I solemnly swear I'm up to no good'," Fred instructed.

"And when you're done say 'Mischief managed'." George added.

"I'm sure you'll find it as useful as we did."

"Not that we need it anymore."

"We've got the whole thing memorized."

Harry tapped the map with his wand. "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good." Lines began to spread out along the parchment from the point where his wand touched it, forming a map of the school that went from edge to edge. He could see everyone in the school as little dots labeled with their name, including the headmaster in his office. "Wow, this has everything short of the chamber of secrets on here."

"Use it well."

"I recommend the passage behind the hump backed witch," Fred said before the two scuttled off to visit mayhem upon the unsuspecting village of Hogsmeade.

Harry had no intention of going to Hogsmeade. He could always ask Dobby for whatever he needed and he'd rather spend his time with Luna. They had an appointment to see Professor Lupin in a few minutes learn more about his parents, and just to spend time with him since he had been sick so often.

"Mischief Managed." Harry folded the map along its already present creases.

A moment later, Luna arrived, carrying the book she had misplaced. Harry suspected that it had been misplaced into her book bag and it had only been an excuse to give the twins a chance to talk with him.

The two headed up to Remus Lupin's office. Harry wasn't paying entirely enough attention and had failed to notice that he had still been holding the Marauder's Map.

"Harry, where did you get that?"

"You seem awfully surprised about a little bit of parchment."

"A little bit of parchment I helped enchant."

Harry blushed in embarrassment. "So I suppose trying to hide it now would be a bit foolish."

"Yes."

"The twins found it and gave it to me today."

"I guess, since we are here to talk about your father," Professor Lupin began pouring some cups of tea. "I suppose that is the best place to start." He took the map and folded it properly. "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."

As the map filled in, there was an image of Hogwarts with the words "Messrs Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot & Prongs proudly present The Marauder's Map"

"Your father was Prongs. He was given that nickname because he was a stag animagus, he could transform at will into a stag with a magnificent rack of antlers which gave him his name. We used to joke that he had a nicer rack than many of the girls."

"What about the others?"

"Padfoot," Remus gripped the map tightly, "was that traitor Sirius Black. He could transform into a large black dog."

"Professor Lupin," Harry said, "You rode the train to Hogwarts to protect the students from the dementors. Do you remember what we talked about?"

"I... No, I don't," he let out an annoyed growl, "I remember getting on the train, and then the dementors..."

"Dumbledore obliviated you too..."

"Why would Dumbledore obliviate me?" Remus Lupin asked.

"To hide the fact that he has been systematically ruining my life, including throwing Sirius into Azkaban without a trial when he knew that Peter Pettigrew was the secret keeper. Do you remember? Peter Pettigrew was masquerading as Ronald Weasley's rat. You tried to capture him earlier this year. I bet he was the one named Wormtail."

"And, you were Mooney because you are a werewolf," Luna added, shocking Remus with her knowledge.

"How did you find out?"

"You are always sick right around the full moon. It was rather obvious for anyone who paid attention."

Remus sighed as they sipped their tea. "So I've been obliviated."

"Come with us to my room. I can show you my memories of what happened."


	12. SATURDAY DECEMBER 25, 1993

**SATURDAY DECEMBER 25, 1993**

Harry woke up on Christmas morning to see a huge pile of presents on the table in lieu of breakfast. He leaned over and pressed his lips against Luna's. She hummed happily as they had a morning snog.

"You know," Luna said, "A girl could get used to waking up like that."

"Well, maybe, you just might have to," Harry replied, kissing her again.

§Do you mind? Some of us are trying to sleep.§ Vindex hissed.

§Don't be such a stick-in-the-mud. It's Christmas. Wake up and enjoy life.§

§I enjoy sleeping.§

§I guess you don't want presents then.§

§I may be able to come to terms with waking up early on this Christmas of yours.§ Vindex slithered out of the bed.

Harry and Luna slipped into clothes that had been laid out for them by Dobby, then sat at the table.

"Dobby!" Harry called.

"Master Harry Potter, sir, calls for Dobby?" Dobby said as he appeared with a crack.

"It's Christmas. We can't open presents until the whole family is here, so grab a seat."

Once Dobby's emotional outburst calmed, Harry grabbed a box from the pile and handed it to Luna.

"Merry Christmas, Luna."

Luna tore open the wrapping with childlike glee. Inside was a stuffed animal that looked just like Harry's patronus. "It's a crumple horned snorkack!" she squealed, hugging the plush toy. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Where did you get it?"

"I had Dobby find a seamstress that did custom work. Then I had Colin take a picture of my patronus and sent it to her."

"It's perfect!" Harry received a hug and kiss as well.

The gift giving continued. Dobby's favorite gift was a specially made uniform. Due to their customized bond, Harry did not have to worry that clothes would dismiss his elf. Vindex's favorite was a large stone with permanent heating charms that he could sleep on whenever he wanted. Harry's favorite give came with no name, but he knew it must be from Sirius Black. It was a numbered first-run model of the new Firebolt broom, the newest, best and most expensive broom there was.

"I think that this will be Oliver Wood's favorite Christmas present as well, even if he wasn't the one to get it," Harry joked.


	13. SATURDAY JANUARY 22, 1994

**SATURDAY JANUARY 22, 1994**

Harry, Luna, Dobby and Vindex stood in the middle of the Chamber of Secrets. Dobby had finally finished his explorations and had presented the completed map to Harry earlier in the week. There had been two passages that exited the school, one into the forbidden forest and one into the mountains. There had been a dozen one-way passages to locations such as the kitchens and the headmaster's office. Most of the passages merely formed a labyrinth that allowed enough rodents to survive that the basilisk rarely had to leave the safety of his den.

Vindex confirmed that the eggs in the nesting area were in fact basilisk eggs that were ready to hatch as soon as the stasis spells were removed. Harry had Dobby store them in his trunk in a padded box. That left one area for them to explore, the dead-end hallway that had the snake carving.

Harry walked up to the wall and hissed, §Open!§ Nothing happened. Harry examined the door closely. He could see that it was sealed with magic. He looked around for a clue as to what to do. It took several minutes before he discovered a section of the wall where the random pattern of cracks seemed to make sense to him.

§Only he who proves his worth as a true heir through word, talent, blood, and power shall pass through this door.§

Blood was an obvious enough clue. He cut his palm and placed it on the snake, allowing his blood to flow into it. He felt a pressure that caused his arm to tingle with magic. He pushed against it with his own magic and said, §Open for the heir of Slytherin!§ The pressure disappeared and the wall swung inwards, causing Harry to stumble through and fall to the ground.

The floor was carpeted, though the mold showed that there had been water leakage. A bed and a desk occupied this room. A sliding door revealed a walk-in closet whose contents had long since rotted away. There were two doors leading from the room. The one on the right was a cool dark room that held dusty jars that surely were once containers for potions ingredients. The one to the left was the real treasure. It was a library. It was nowhere near as large as the main library of Hogwarts, but Harry was sure the books here were worth a lot more. The room was enchanted to maintain a perfect climate for the books and the books were enchanted to preserve them from the ravages of the elements and time. On the wall was a painting of a man with a long dour face and dark hair with green and silver robes.

Harry walked up to the painting and rapped on the frame to wake it up. Startled, the figure in the painting whipped his head around. "Who's there?"

§Salazar Slytherin, I presume?§ Harry asked.

§I am. You must be one of my descendants.§

"Yes, Mr. Slytherin. I am Harry Potter, your only entirely living descendant."

"You brought a girl, a house elf, and a hydra." He sneered at all of them.

"The girl is my girlfriend, Luna Lovegood. The elf is my friend Dobby. The hydra is my bonded familiar, Vindex. I hope you will treat them all with respect. If half of what I heard about you is true, I don't think an accident with some paint thinner would cause me too much distress."

"Well, at least my descendant has a backbone," Slytherin said.

"What are your feelings towards Muggles and Muggleborn wizards?"

"Muggles are despicable creatures. We should just kidnap the children at the first sign of magic so they can be brought up in a proper environment. Why should we give their parents a choice when most just burn the children at the stake the moment they learn their child is magical! That's why I left several basilisks to protect the school of muggles decided to attack and kill the so-called 'devil-children'."

"So you don't want to kill all the muggleborn witches and wizards?"

"Of course not! If we only relied on the births of magicborn children, we would die out within three generations."

"Your other descendant, whom I've already killed three times, is a dark lord who believes that muggles and muggleborns should be killed, and most people believe that he is only continuing your legacy. He used your basilisk to attack muggleborn children and I had to kill it. The eggs are safe though."

"He attacked the children of the school? That's not possible. He would never willingly... He was my familiar."

"Tom Riddle, or Lord Voldemort as he called himself, probably used some dark magic to control him. I'm sorry he had to die."

"Better dead than enslaved," Slytherin said, "What else has happened?"

Harry and Salazar Slytherin talked long into the afternoon. Eventually it was decided that he and the library would be moved into the study of Harry's trunk.


	14. SATURDAY FEBRUARY 19, 1994

**SATURDAY FEBRUARY 19, 1994**

Oliver Wood gave his pregame pep talk to the team. "And remember, Potter, don't fall off your broom. I don't care if the dark lord himself pops into the middle of the quidditch pitch and hits you will a killing curse. You will keep flying and grab that snitch. We can't afford to lose another game."

"Yes sir!" Harry said, mockingly saluting the captain.

"Now, everyone, let's go knock those birds out of the sky!"

They all mounted they brooms and flew into their starting formation as the balls were released. After a brief speech about sportsmanship and fair play, both teams rocketed into the air. Harry squinted and quickly discovered the location of the snitch by its distinctive runic halo. Less than two minutes into the game, it was over with a score of one-hundred-fifty points to zero.

The entire stadium was in shock as Harry landed with the snitch in his hand. The silence only lasted for a few moments before the Gryffindors in the stands broke into tumultuous cheering.

* * *

The party had lasted well into the night. Harry barely dragged himself up to his shared dorm room before he collapsed on the bed he had not used in several weeks. He did not have the energy to climb down into his trunk, so he just cast his alarm ward and fell asleep.


	15. SUNDAY FEBRUARY 20, 1994

**SUNDAY FEBRUARY 20, 1994**

It must have been three in the morning when Harry woke up. He threw open his curtains and shot a stunner at the figure that obviously did not belong in the room. It took a few minutes before Harry realized that the man he had just stunned was his godfather, Sirius Black.

Harry stumbled to his feet. "Dobby," He called in a whisper. The elf crawled out of the trunk quietly, sensing his master's need for discretion. "Put him in the second apartment." Harry gestured towards the man who was on the floor. Harry climbed down and wrote a note to Sirius about the dangers of the security system and that they would talk in the morning, then moved to the first apartment, stripped off his clothes and snuggled in next to Luna.

* * *

Harry woke up late when Luna began a morning snogging session.

"We should probably get up," Harry muttered, cheekily squeezing her bum.

"I like us right where we are," Luna purred as he began nibbling on her ear.

"We have a guest," Harry said.

"He can wait."

* * *

It was mid-morning before Harry entered his godfather's room to find the man unconscious by the door. He levitated the man into bed. "Ennervate!" Harry cast, awakening the man. "Did you even bother to read the note on the door?" He asked.

His godfather looked at him suspiciously. "You stunned me!" He accused.

"And you snuck into my dorm looking for a rat that ran away months ago. Frankly, when my alarm ward went off, I assumed that Dumbledore had come to try and obliviate me again."

"You had a dangerous mass murderer after you, and you're afraid of Dumbledore?"

"Dumbledore didn't sign a contract saying that he would always look after my best interests. Something I found out you did after I found out that Dumbledore obliviated my parents' solicitor. He's become a real pain in the tail. So, can I trust you not to attack my girlfriend and my elf if I feed you?"

Sirius sighed. "I seem to have missed a lot."

"Over a decade in prison does that. Something else to blame Dumbledore for. Thanks for the broom, by the way. I'm surprised you managed to make it into Gringotts without getting caught."

"You'd be amazed at what you can do by owl," Sirius replied.

Harry opened the door. "I hope you find the accommodations comfortable. I really don't have anything else for you. Welcome to my humble, yet extremely expensive, trunk. This room is yours. Once I get a chance to add you to the security, You'll be able to access several other rooms and if you're good, Dobby might consider taking the dog for a walk or two. I might bring Professor Lupin in for a visit as well once we get you cleaned up a bit."

They entered the next room.

"This is the study. As you can see, I have acquired a small collection of books. The portrait on the wall is Salazar Slytherin. I found him in the Chamber of Secrets. Turns out that my mother was a descendant of a squib line and Salazar is nothing like the Slytherin's of today. He should provide some interesting company while you're stuck here."

"Are you decent Luna?" Harry asked.

"Never for you," Luna replied with a giggle.

"Decent enough of an old dog to enter with me?"

"As long as he stays on a leash."

Harry threw open the door. "And this room belongs to Luna and me and you'll be entering by invitation only. We also have a training room. Dobby has a room. And, we have one more room that is currently being used for storage. This lovely creature is Luna Lovegood."

"What the hell is that?" Sirius pointed to the two-headed snake that was laying on his warm rock.

"That is my familiar, Vindex. He's a hydra. Any questions, or shall we begin breakfast?"

"Food first," Sirius agreed. He had not eaten a decent meal in over twelve years.

Dobby popped in and laid food for four, though it was a little cramped in the small room. Sirius ate as if he hadn't seen food in days, and he probably hadn't.

"So, what's happened with you the past decade or so?" Sirius asked.

"I've been the Dursley's punching bag while Dumbledore drained my trust vault. Voldemort is still floating around in spirit form and I've had to kill him twice more as well as a sixty-foot basilisk. Dumbledore has been paying people to pretend to be my friends while he ruins my life and passes out obliviations like candy. And I found the best girlfriend, elf and familiar a bloke could ever ask for. Well, that's the short version. You'll have plenty of time, so I will just give you a highlight reel in my pensieve."


	16. WEDNESDAY APRIL 20, 1994

**WEDNESDAY APRIL 20, 1994**

"It's finished!" Sirius announced as Harry entered the study.

"The animagus revelio potion," Remus Lupin said, causing Sirius to almost drop the potion in surprise.

"I thought I'd bring a guest," Harry said. After a couple months in Dobby's care, the old dog was looking much more human. His body was filling out so that he no longer looked like a skeleton with skin. His haunted eyes twinkled with more life every day. Regular showers and clean clothes had also done much to make his presence more pleasant.

"I suggest you lay down before you drink this. Meanwhile, Mooney and I will catch up."

"Why exactly am I going to be drinking something that looks and smells like you pureed a dirty old sock?"

"Don't you want to be closer to your old man? You need this to figure out what type of animagus you can become."

"And how many doses have you made?"

"There's one there, but there's enough for two or three more still in the cauldron."

Harry grabbed three extra vials and distributed the remaining potion evenly.

"Expecto Patronum! Gred and Forge, I have a present for you. Meet me in my dorm."

Harry went into his room where Luna was on the bed reading. He placed the four stoppered vials on the pillow. "Make sure nothing happens to these," Harry said.

"Okay," Luna said as she turned the page.

Harry barely had time to crack open the trunk before he saw two sets of eyes peering in at him.

"So that's where you always run off to."

"We should have known."

Harry flung open the lid and gestured for the twins to join him inside. "Welcome to my humble abode. Any pranks inside here will be met with swift and brutal retaliation."

"My good man," Fred said.

"What kind of people do you take us for?"

"Do you really believe that a couple of good, outstanding citizens such as us,"

"Would do something as terrible as pranking a man in his own home?"

"Frankly, yes," Harry replied bluntly.

"He knows us too well."

"If you behave, I'll give you another present," Harry offered.

"Bribery?" George asked.

"Excellent choice. You do know the way into our hearts," Fred said.

"Well, are you going to spend all day talking or are you coming in?" Harry asked.

Fred and George hopped into the trunk.

"Now, why don't you have a seat and we'll have a little discussion about why you're here."

The twins gabbed some chairs while Harry snuggled up to Luna on the bed.

"Now, a long time ago in a school exactly like this one, there were four friends who loved pranks. They were known to the school as the Marauders: Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. Prongs also had another name, James Potter, my father."

"So, you're a prongslet?" Fred asked.

"More like prongs two-point-oh!" George exclaimed.

"Now, children, calm down until story time is over," Harry chastised mockingly, "You see, the name Prongs wasn't chosen by random. You see, every marauder was special, they could transform into an animal. My father was a stag animagus. He was named for his incredible rack of antlers. You may not know it, but you've already met two other Marauders. Wormtail was a rat, in more ways than one. You know him as Scabbers. I know him as my parent's secret keeper and betrayer, Peter Pettigrew."

"Wait, wasn't Sirius black the one to betray your parents?"

"No. He was only a decoy. He was thrown into Azkaban without a trial. For some reason the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot decided to allow this, despite having been the one to cast the fidelus charm that had hidden my parents."

"Isn't Dumbledore..." Fred interrupted.

"And thus, you see one of the many reasons I hate Dumbledore," Harry answered curtly. "Naturally the third marauder was Sirius Black, or Padfoot. He's a large black dog. And Mooney, I'll let you figure that one out."

"So, you actually know who all four are?" George was awed.

"Yes, and one of them made something for me that I have decided to share with you." Harry took the four vials of potion and distributed them. "This is the animagus revelio potion. It will show you what type of animal you can transform into. I am told you'll want to get comfortable before you use it though. Well, bottoms up!" Harry popped the cork and downed the potion as quickly as he could.

* * *

Harry could feel his body coiling in the dark. He launched like a spring shooting out of a cave into the light. His wings spread, catching the air and propelling him up into the air. He soared and spiraled through the air, then dove to the ground at the edge of a lake. His bird-like talons cut into the sandy shore. He leaned forward to take a drink and saw his reflection in the water. His hardened beak was full of small but sharp fangs that were dripping with venom. His eyes were large and yellow, set almost to the sides of his head. His green feathers, or were they scales, shone with reflected light.

* * *

Harry woke up in a cold sweat, panting to regain his breath. He had no idea what type of animal he was.

"Took you long enough," Fred said.

"We were all done nearly an hour ago," George added.

"We're both red foxes," Fred finished.

"I'm a white dove," Luna said.

"I'm some sort of green feathery-scaled, bird-snake-thingy with a beak, bird talons, wings, poisonous fangs, and scary yellow eyes."

"You can't ever do normal," Fred chided.

"Can you, Harry?" George completed.

"Why don't you show us in your pensieve. Maybe we might be able to give you a hint," Luna suggested.

The four entered the study where Sirius and Remus were still chatting.

"Mooney,"

"And Padfoot,"

"We presume," the twins said, "We are unworthy to be in the presence of the famous masters of mayhem, the Marauders." They gave a deep and humbling bow as the pretended to remove nonexistent hats with a flourish.

"So, you pups all found your animagus forms?" Sirius asked excitedly.

"We're foxes," Fred said.

"Crafty," said George.

"Tricky," said Fred.

"And furry enough that every girl will want a piece of us," they finished together.

"I dare say, it fits them perfectly," Professor Lupin deadpanned.

"I'm a white dove, though I was hoping for a crumple horned snorkack."

"And, I can't figure out what I am." Harry took the pensieve from the shelf and placed it on the table. "And so, I offer you all the chance to try and figure it out for me." He dropped his memory of his vision into the bowl. Everyone went in to watch the memory and reappeared a few minutes later looking confused.

"This really doesn't make any sense," Sirius said, "It's supposed to be impossible to have a magical creature as your animagus form. You would have to have an incredible amount of magical power to be so much as a pixie, let alone that bird-dragon-thing."

"Did you say bird-dragon?" Salazar asked.

"Yes," Harry replied for Sirius, "We have no idea what it's supposed to be."

"Was it like a snake about as big as a hippogriff with feather-shaped scales, legs of a bird, and a beak full of venomous fangs?"

"Yes," Harry said.

"That describes it perfectly," Sirius said, practically hopping up and down in excitement, "What is it?"

"Your animagus form, somehow, is a cockatrice. It is closely related to the basilisk. Where the basilisk is from the egg of a chicken hatched by a toad. A cockatrice occurs the opposite way. A cockatrice is not nearly as powerful as a basilisk, though it shares many similarities. It can kill or petrify with eye contact, but this ability is not always active, unlike with the basilisk. Its venom is also not nearly as potent as a basilisk's. Its scales also do not provide nearly the same protection as a basilisk. In return for its many weaknesses, it has several strengths. For one, it has the ability to fly and has talons with which to grip things. It is also immune to the crowing of a rooster. And, when you do transform, I recommend not using a mirror to practice the killing gaze, it will not kill you, but you will be unable to move until something disrupts it or you die from magical exhaustion."

"So, names. We have to give you names. You two will be Twin-Tails." Sirius said.

"I believe Luna should be Oracle since she is a seer and doves are used for fortune telling," Remus said.

"And that leaves Harry..." Sirius said.

"Snake-Eyes," Luna said, "Because he is a snake with magical eyes, and he has some of the worst luck in the world. It's his greatest weakness and his greatest strength."


	17. SATURDAY JUNE 11, 1994

**SATURDAY JUNE 11, 1994**

It was the last quidditch game of the season. Currently, Hufflepuff was in the lead for the cup by almost one-hundred fifty points. Griffindor was in second. They needed to win with a spread of more than that to win the cup.

Today, they were facing their nemeses, the Slytherins. From the moment the balls were released, Malfoy was on his tail.

"I don't know how you found the snitch so quickly against Ravenclaw, but I'm not going to let you embarrass Slytherin like that," Malfoy yelled.

A bludger whizzed by Harry's head and then was sent back at him. The two beaters were focusing on him. Harry had to give all of his attention to dodging the bludgers, he didn't even have time to look for the snitch.

"And Gryffindor scores!" Lee Joran announced, "The Slytherin teams strategy seems to be backfiring on them."

Harry decided to use his speed to his advantage. He dove towards the Slytherin chasers, causing the bludgers fired at him to his them instead. After a few minutes, a bludger hit with such force, that Harry heard a sickening crack from Warrington's body. The boy fell from his broom. Harry dove after the falling Slytherin, catching the back of the boy's robes and slowing his descent and giving him a relatively gentle landing.

Warrington was unable to return to the game. Down a player, the Slytherins were quickly falling behind. When the score was four-hundred-twenty to fifty in favor of Gryffindor, Flint recalled the beaters and set them on Gryffindor's chasers. Thirty seconds later, Harry had the snitch and Gryffindor had won the quidditch cup.


	18. WEDNESDAY JUNE 29, 1994

**WEDNESDAY JUNE 29, 1994**

The four new marauders had spent most of their free time working on the their transformations. Thanks to his eidetic memory, Harry had far less revising to do for exams than the other three, but he also had the most difficult transformation. This night was the last full moon of the school year and they all wanted to be there to support Remus like the old marauders had. Being an animagus gave them a chance to be around a werewolf in his transformed state since lycanthropy could only affect humans.

It was mid-afternoon and they were now standing in the forbidden forest away from prying eyes.

"First, the twins," Remus instructed.

The two boys fell to all fours as silky red fur sprouted from their bodies and a tail sprouted from their backsides. They were almost completely identical once transformed. The few differences in fur pattern were actually mirrored on the other. They were only about knee height and four feet long from nose to tail. They began to run, weaving between the legs of the observers, displaying their speed and flexibility. Then, they began a complicated dance where they leapt over and scooted under each other, displaying remarkable agility. Then, they returned to human form and took a bow. Luna clapped to show her support for their entertaining antics.

"Now, Luna."

Luna shrunk down, white feathers peeling away from her skin as her arms transformed into wings. She cooed and took to the air, flying in a circle around their heads before landing on a branch and singing a bird song before transforming back.

"Luna, have I ever told you that you have a beautiful singing voice?"

Luna giggled and shook her head.

"Enough flirting, lovebirds. Let's see the finale!" Sirius interrupted.

"Fine, you asked for it."

Harry concentrated and transformed. After everyone finished admiring him, he transformed again, changing his scales from green to a pattern of Gryffindor red and gold and his eyes to a warm amber.

"You still have your metamorphmagus powers!" Luna exclaimed.

Harry crowed like a rooster, then spread his wings and took to the air. He flew above the trees and performed acrobatic maneuvers. Then, he felt a chill. He turned to see what must have been the entire contingent of dementors descending towards their location. He raced to the ground, landing hard before taking human form.

"Dementors," he gasped. His mother's screams were filling his ears, "Hundreds of them."

"Expecto Patronum!" Remus cast his patronus. Harry's followed soon after, but it was not enough to hold so many dementors at bay. "Everyone head back towards the castle."

"Those who can't cast a patronus, take your animagus form. They won't affect you as much." Sirius ordered before a shaggy black dog took his place. Luna, Fred and George followed suit.

Harry's patronus began to falter. "Expecto Patronum!" They were surrounded now with nowhere to run. "Expecto Patronum!" Harry could feel the energy draining from him as he tried to hold off the dementors. He saw one approaching a trembling and weeping dove. Harry saw red. He transformed and tackled the dementor. He pierced its chest with his beak and injected his venom directly into its shriveled black heart. It began to scream and writhe. Harry turned to the approaching hoard of demons, willing them all to die. Then, one of them did. It seemed to just disintegrate into dust. Harry crowed, bringing the attentions of the hoard to his deadly gaze. Dozens fell to his assault. He vaguely thought he heard someone yelling for everyone to close their eyes, but it didn't matter as long as enemies stood before him.

Soon, the swarming creatures began retreating. More than half their number had been felled by his power. Then, there were no more and Harry felt the fatigue hit him. He did not know how long he had been fighting for. He lay down on the ground as twilight darkened the skies.

"Harry, are you alright?"

"Just go, all of you. Get inside quickly!" Remus yelled.

Harry was too exhausted to listen. He laid his head down and went to sleep.


	19. THURSDAY JUNE 30, 1994

**THURSDAY JUNE 30, 1994**

Harry woke up still in his cockatrice form. He was laying on top of the bed with his wing wrapped around Luna. He returned to human form. After taking a moment to admire the sleeping angel next to him, Harry shook her awake.

"Luna," Harry said.

"Harry?"

"What happened?"

"After you went crazy with the dementors, you fell asleep. Professor Lupin never got a chance to take his wolfsbane potion. Sirius followed him into the forest to make sure he didn't attack anyone. I called Dobby and had him bring you here. The twins and I walked back to the castle. I don't know what happened after that."

* * *

Harry sat with the twins. They had arrived early for the end of year feast.

"Do you think Mooney and Padfoot are okay?" Harry asked.

"You mean, you didn't check for them on the map?"

"No, I didn't think to do that."

"I'm sure everything will be fine."

"And, I'm sure he'll be impressed."

The twins smiled with false innocence."

Soon all the students and teachers had arrived. Professor Lupin was present, but he looked terrible. Dumbledore stood to give his customary end-of-year speech. Instead of words, his mouth spouted the squawking of disturbed birds.

A series of explosions ran the length of the hall and many gallons of colored liquid sprayed down on the students. Slytherins were bathed in red and gold, Hufflepuffs in blue and black, Gryffindors in silver and green, and Ravenclaws in yellow and pink. Somehow, even the heads of houses had been doused in colors that matched their houses.

A series of fireworks began exploding over their heads. When they finished, everyone noticed a large banner hanging at the back of the hall with flashing neon letters. "Hogwarts Proudly Presents the Second Generation of Marauders: The Twin Tails, Snake Eyes, and Oracle! With compliments to Messrs Mooney, Padfoot and Prongs."

"Not again," cried out McGonagall as she fainted.

Professor Flitwick looked thoroughly entertained. Hagrid was laughing uproariously. Lupin had a smirk on his face. Dumbledore was looking rather put out. Snape looked like he was about to blow a gasket. His normally pale face had turned deep crimson and he was gripping his wand as if trying to find someone to hex.

Professor Lupin stood up and cleared his throat. "I have an announcement to make. As some of you have deduced, I am a werewolf." This brought a series of shocked gasps from the students. "Last night, dementors entered the school grounds in an attempt to attack the students. Because I was dealing with them, I did not get a chance to take my wolfsbane potion. Fortunately, I did not leave the forbidden forest after my transformation, but I could have been a grave danger to the students, just as much as the dementors. It was only one incident with extenuating circumstances, but it was one incident too many. I will not be returning for a second year."

Some of the students cheered, but the vast majority let out disappointed groans.

Headmaster Dumbledore seemed to regain his voice. "Thank you, Professor Lupin. Your talent will be sorely missed, though I suppose I should have expected this considering the track record of defense teachers the last fifty years. In the meantime, I'd like to congratulate Hufflepuff on winning the house cup this year. Please enjoy your holidays and we look forward to seeing most of you next year."


	20. FRIDAY JULY 1, 1994

**FRIDAY JULY 1, 1994**

Harry had no difficulty packing. He did not have a need to search for anything. He just shrunk his trunk with everyone and everything in it and dropped it in his pocket. As he was preparing to leave, he was confronted by his least favorite person in the world.

"Mr. Potter," Albus Dumbledore said, locking the dorm door with a flick of his wand.

"Headmaster," Harry replied, keeping a wary eye on the old man's wand.

"My boy, I've grown to be a little concerned about you. You've been sneaking around a lot, ignoring your friends, and spending time with certain bad influences."

"I don't understand what you mean, sir. I spend most of my day with my friends."

"Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger have been rather put out by the way you've avoided them."

"I've learned that we just aren't compatible. I've found friends that genuinely enjoy my company. I'm sure you know that Miss Lovegood has a delightful personality, and the twins are always good for a laugh. Colin and his brother are quite energetic. Miss Greengrass is an excellent study partner. Mr. Diggory is always willing to talk about quidditch strategies. Even my old rival Mr. Malfoy is becoming downright pleasant as he matures. I have more friends than I've had in any previous year. It makes me wonder why I was never able to get close to them before."

"I see..." Albus Dumbledore frowned, "I suppose things are going well. Were you planning to spend time with them during the holidays?"

"The Dursleys would never allow me to do something like that, and you know as well as I do that I have no place to go other than to my legal guardians."

"Yes, that is quite unfortunate. Try to enjoy your holidays as much as possible. I look forward to seeing you again in the fall."

As Dumbledore left, Harry let out a sigh of relief, then went to meet Luna in the entrance hall with the happy thought that his true legal guardian was Sirius Black, even if the law didn't acknowledge it yet.

* * *

Harry looked properly dejected as he entered the Dursley's house.

"Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, I need to talk to you."

"What is it boy? Did they finally kick you out of that freak school? Is that why you don't have all your freak stuff with you?"

"No, it's about that man that's been on the news, the mass murderer."

The Dursleys glared at him, obviously unsure of where he was going with this.

"It turns out, that he's my godfather. He tossed an expanding trunk and it landed between them. Sirius black burst from the trunk, looking like a wild man. The Dursleys fainted.

* * *

Lord Sanies Sibilus knocked smartly on the door to the rookery. The door opened to show a haggard and ink stained Xenophilius Lovegood.

"Hello," the man gulped, "Can I help you?"

"Yes, I am here to make you an offer you cannot refuse," the dark lord said with a glare.

"Sorry, I'm not interested in buying anything, and I'm quite busy at the moment. It seems that the printing press has jammed and I really must repair it."

"And I was going to offer you the chance to photograph proof that the crumple horned snorkack is real."

"Well, why didn't you say so before. Why don't you come in. Would you like some tea?"

"No, thank you."

"Please sit down," Xenophilius said, "What can I do for you?"

"As a dark lord returning to the world after many years of, shall we say, hibernation, I require a seer to help me reestablish my reign of terror. Your daughter's abilities are perfect for my needs."

"My daughter is not for sale at any price."

"You seem to misunderstand me. I do not want you to give her to me as a slave, merely your permission to go with me as my adviser until she needs to return to school. I would of course do everything in my power to keep her from harm. I am a dark lord, not a monster."

"And what ideology does your reign of terror represent?"

"Equal rights for all intelligent races, and sufficient government oversight to prevent the abuse of power."

"I am sorry, but this leaves me a little confused, your platform does not seem all that dark as compared to other dark lords like Voldemort or Grindelwald."

"Dark and light have nothing to do with good or evil. It merely means that I am willing to defy the regulations put in place by corrupt governments in order to accomplish my goals. For example, if this Lord Voldemort were to appear again, I would not hesitate to torture and kill him at the first opportunity. I could say the same for Albus Dumbledore, Cornelius Fudge, and that despicable Delores Umbridge who passed that anti-werewolf legislation last year that practically guarantees that werewolves must become criminals in order to survive."

"Very well. If you can convince her to accompany you of her own free will, I will allow her to go if you can present this proof of yours."

"Good. I present to you my patronus charm. Expecto Patronum!"

"It's beautiful. This will definitely be a front page story."

"If it's not too much trouble, I would appreciate a little publicity since I've told you my aims."

"Of course. But there is no way I could fit you in before the third page."

"Thank you, Mr. Lovegood. I do appreciate your sensibility in this matter. LUNA, HE SAID YES!"

A moment later, a squealing blonde rocket tackled Harry and began to repeatedly kiss him.

"Why do I feel like I am missing something." Luna's father asked.

"Probably... because... Dumble... dore obliviated... you." Harry managed to squeeze out between kisses.

"Bye daddy! See you later!"

* * *

"So, where do we go first?"

"I don't know about you two, but I'd like a wand, preferably one not traceable by the British ministry," Sirius suggested.

"I suppose. There are a lot of magics that are difficult to accomplish wandlessly. Simple force application and scientific principles are easy to play with once you understand them, but things like mind magics and transfiguration just seem to be far beyond what can be done without a tested formula."

"Why don't we go get your sword back from the goblins. They may have an idea of where to get an untraceable wand."

"Okay, so Padfoot, would you prefer to be walked or put in your cage?"

* * *

Harry and Luna walked into the bank wearing their full dark lord costumes. The line scattered ahead of them as they walked right up to Griphook.

"Good afternoon, Griphook. We would like to visit my vault and one other if you don't mind."

"Very well, follow me." Griphook kept glancing at them suspiciously. Once they arrived at the mine cart and away from prying eyes, Sirius Black was removed from the trunk.

"You are Mr. Black, I presume?" Griphook asked.

"Yes. My vault is the other we wish to access today."

At Harry's vault, Harry only popped in for a moment to grab his sword and strap the sheathe around his waist. It matched his armor perfectly.

The Black vault was much deeper than his trust vault. The Blacks were an old family with a large fortune, larger even than the Potter fortune though it mostly came from less than legal sources.

Rather than rooting around in the vault, Sirius merely went to a book on a pedestal by the door.

"What is that?" Harry asked.

"This is the inventory ledger for the vault," Sirius explained, "There's junk built up in here from hundreds of years of people dumping their crap in here. This will let me see whats in here. Can I borrow your wand for a minute?"

Harry handed Sirius his wand.

"Search for armor," Sirius said, tapping the ledger. The pages began flipping as Sirius considered each presented entry. "Retrieve self-sizing black dragon-hide armor of Arcturus Black. I could have gone for Rastaban's, but snakes are more your thing. But, I figure I should at least look the part when you go around doing your dark lord thing."

A carved figure dressed in ornate armor appeared, floating over the mounds of junk.

"Search for swords." Sirius flipped through the highlighted entries. "Retrieve the black sword. I think you'll find this pretty interesting. This sword has been in my family for pretty much forever. It's actually where we got out name from. The story goes that a star fell from the sky and it was forged into an unbreakable sword." The sword floated over to Sirius. It was in a black dragon hide scabbard with black iron bands. The handle was also of black dragon hide and a large black diamond was set into the pommel. There was no guard on the sword. When Sirius drew the sword, its straight blade was revealed to be made of metal so dark that it almost seemed to absorb the light. Embedded in the inset flat of the blade were beads of polished obsidian.

"That is an impressive sword," Harry agreed, "Now that the vault raiding business is complete, Griphook, we were wondering if you happened to know where a couple of travelers might go to get a few unregistered custom wands."

"I'm not sure. Gringotts would never, after all, condone such a thing as traveling to Athens Greece, the birthplace of the wand. And we certainly could never provide a portkey to that city for a small fee."

"Well that's too bad then," Luna said, "We were willing to pay a large fee. I guess we'll have to find another way."

Harry snickered.

"Why don't you follow me, as I am sure we can not arrange something to replace those travel permits you lost as well."

"That certainly does sound inconvenient," Harry admitted with a smirk.

* * *

At the request of the Goblins, they moved far away from the bank before using their illegal portkey and did so wearing their civilian clothes. Greece was not a nation where walking around in full body armor was considered acceptable attire.

The three were dropped into the magical district hidden in the center of Plaka which was famous for its old architecture with traditional red clay-tiled roofs. At this point, it was late in the evening, so they headed to a nearby hotel and ran into a slight problem. None of them knew how to read, write or speak Greek. Harry, seeing no other option, stepped into his trunk and began consulting the books of Merlin.

First, he consulted the forth volume, 'Saying the Magic Words, not just Please and Thank You'. Unfortunately, this only covered magical languages. While Greek was one, it was not the modern Greek that was spoken in modern Greece. For translations, he was pointed to the eighteenth book, 'Turning on your Charms' in which he found a spell that allowed the user to absorb the language knowledge of a specific target.

Harry returned out of the trunk to see Sirius attempting to mime their request for a room. He ignored this and jabbed his wand towards the head of the innkeeper and shouted, "Perspicio Lingua!" The innkeeper screamed and closed his eyes, waiting for death from the gray arc that leapt from Harry's wand. Harry felt a slight tingle as the knowledge of Greek entered his mind. "Can you understand me now?" Harry asked with a flawless local accent.

The innkeeper cracked open his eyes. "I am not dead?"

"It was a language spell. Allows me to learn the native tongue of the person I cast it upon. More effective than the charades you were dealing with before, I think," Harry explained.

"I suppose, but it is impolite to cast an unknown spell on someone without telling them what it is," the innkeeper grumbled.

"Yes. I am sure telling you what I was doing in English would have cleared everything up," Harry replied sarcastically.

"Well, erm, welcome? How may I help you?"

"We bring out accommodations with us, but we require a place to store them. Is there a spot to store my trunk? If not, I'll take your smallest, cheapest room," Harry requested.

"That is three Galleons a night," the innkeeper explained.

"Would you mind if I had my friends learn Greek from you as well?"

"Five galleons each, including you."

"Greedy," Harry muttered as he handed eighteen Galleons to the man. He turned to Luna and Sirius and explained the spell. "A downward flick with a curve to the right, then jab toward the head. The incantation is 'Perspicio Lingua'."

Two spells later and the three went off to their bedroom.


	21. SATURDAY JULY 2, 1994

**SATURDAY JULY 2, 1994**

At the innkeeper's suggestion, they visited a local tavern for an authentic Greek meal. They were served cheese pies, sausage, and fruit preserved on fresh bread aside strong black coffee, or melon juice for Luna who didn't like coffee.

"We have heard," Harry said to the tavern owner, "That Greece is the birthplace of wands. Is this true?"

"Yes. Greece has always been the center of civilization. Religion, democracy, wands... All that has brought order to society has begun in Greece," the corpulant owner boasted, refilling Luna's dwindling fruit juice.

"It is too bad many countries forbid owning multiple wands. A custom Greek wand would have been the perfect souvenir." Sirius said.

"Ahh..." The tavern owner's face lit up in understanding. "Yes. I have a friend. He works in a shop in a small shopping district you can find through a warded exit of the acropolis. He creates excellent custom wands. It is too bad that his shop is so small. It is often overlooked by government inspections."

"Yes, a pity," Sirius agreed, "Perhaps we might visit your friend, just to watch him work of course."

"Of course, the man agreed."

* * *

The three tourists wandered the Acropolis, admiring the ruins of the old temples, and the more up to date buildings that were hidden from muggle eyes, selling magical souvenirs. Just below the Parthenon, a small group of shops that looked less than legitimate were gathered in a cleft in the rock. The three donned their dark lord personas, including Harry having Vindex coiled around his torso.

The three strode into the wand shop looking quite intimidating. The hydra, a native snake in Greece, was quickly recognized by the proprietor.

"Good morning, wand maker," Harry said, "Your work has come highly recommended. I understand that you can make powerful, yet untraceable wands for a wizard of the correct means and... temperament."

A bead of sweat ran down the wand maker's forehead. "Of course, sirs. You'll find no wand better than that I make for you."

"Very good. I would like to purchase three wands then. The best you can make."

"Yes, then lets start with the casings I have to offer. Most wand makers stick to woods because of their simplicity and well known properties. I include some more exotic ingredients such as fangs, or bone."

"Would a piece of the user make the wand more compatible?" Harry asked.

"The only parts that Humans have that are compatible for wand casings are some of their bones."

"Would a cockatrice fang suffice?"

"I can not tell without testing it," the man admitted.

Harry transformed and opened his beak. The man paled and turned towards Harry's two companions. Harry snuffed in irritation, then used his metamorph abilities to regrow his largest pair of fangs twice, pushing the old ones out and onto the counter. Harry transformed back.

"You may keep any extras for your stock, but you will give us an appropriate discount." The man nodded and used some dragon hide gloves to pick up and wash the fangs, then added them to a box of wand casings. He cast a spell on the box, then on Harry.

"You should feel a pull towards the core that is most compatible with you."

Harry closed his eyes and hovered his hand over the box. He did indeed feel a pull. He reached out with his magic. A slender object leapt into his hand. He expected to see a cockatrice fang when he opened his eyes, instead, he saw a long, thin, slightly curved piece of bone that came to a point at one end. It was heavy and cold, almost metallic feeling.

"The wing bone of a Stymphalian bird. A man-eating bird as toxic as your own alternate form. It could launch it's feathers like flying knives. Its bite has powerful and deadly venom. Its excretions are so toxic that it would poison the land itself for a generation. This will create a wand meant for death and destruction."

He placed the bone aside and repeated the process with Luna. She selected one of Harry's fangs. "Cockatrice fang. You must be rather close to the donor as you do not seem to be the type for a death wand.

Sirius selected a much thicker bone than Harry. "That is the leg bone of a laelaps. It is a magical hound that will never stop running until it has caught its prey. A wand made with this will surely give you incredible magical endurance."

The shopkeeper then brought out a second box that was much larger than the first and was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. "These are the cores I have available. A core can be made of any sufficiently magical substance. In the case of snakes, it is usually blood, venom, and scales. Though, in the case of the hydra, the scales would be ineffective. Do you want to provide any samples before we start?"

"I will give both my blood, and cockatrice blood, venom and scales."

"If the blood is not chosen, it will be destroyed immediately. We do not want to leave around convenient supplies for blood magic," Sirius said.

§Will you offer blood or venom in case they may be chosen as ingredients for our wands?§ Harry queried Vindex.

§Only venom.§

"Vindex will offer venom," Harry translated.

Harry was provided with several vials. He milked Vindex, then allowed Luna to milk his fangs and draw his blood. The blood was placed in an easily visible and accessible part of the box of cores.

"You have one more to offer," Luna said.

"I do?" Harry queried.

"Basilisk venom."

Harry remembered he had received a vial as part of his portion of the basilisk sale. He placed the vial next to the blood. "I slew the thousand-year-old basilisk myself, so I will want that back if it is not chosen.

It wasn't a concern. To Harry's surprise, when he went to select his core, he received not only the basilisk venom, but also nundu saliva.

"You truly are a surprise. Two of the deadliest substances in existence. Your wand will be a wand of death for sure. I doubt it could ever cast a healing spell." The wand maker seemed genuinely surprised. "I can only imagine what fate has in store for you."

Luna selected Harry's human blood. "I have never even heard of human blood used as the core of a wand. Humans usually do not have enough magic to even be considered."

"I have a lot of magic. I've also had basilisk venom and phoenix tears in my blood, so my blood may be more magical than most."

"You will need to protect the girl. She is your weakness. Even your body desires to protect her. Now, the final one."

Sirius selected his core.

"Hellhound blood. Excellent for the dark arts and shield charms, though quite temperamental."

Harry waved his holly and phoenix feather wand and vanished the vial of cockatrice blood. "If you don't mind, we would like to watch you work. We have never seen a wand being made." Harry leveled a steady gaze at the man. He found this made the man grow nervous.

"Of course, wand lore is such a fascinating subject. While we're talking, why don't you tell me how you'd like your wands stylized."

"Snakes, doves, and dogs," Harry said in a no-nonsense voice.

"Of course. That makes sense."

* * *

"Your wands," the wand maker presented the finished items to Harry, Luna and Sirius.

The wands reacted extremely well for all of them. If anything, Harry had to say the wand was a much better fit than the one he had gotten from Ollivander. "It's very good he said. Reacts much better than a pre-made wand."

"Of course, sir. Custom is always a better fit. May I ask your names so I may know whom I have had the honor of serving?"

"Of course. I was once known as Dark Lord Sanies Sibilus. I am sure that soon my name will be widely known once again. My beautiful companion is the Lady Lux. And this mangy man here is my pet dog, and yes he does bite."

"Of course..." The wand maker let out a forced chuckle. "It was an honor to serve you."

"What about payment?" Harry asked.

"Your generous donations more than cover it of course. I must close shop for lunch now. Thank you for coming."

Harry Luna and Sirius left the store and headed back to the main plaza, not noticing the three uniformed men that entered the store as they left. They stopped around a cleft of rock to return to their civilian clothes, then headed back to the magical district they had come from.

* * *

"So, we've seen the sights of Greece and got untraceable wands," Harry said, "Where do we want to spend our vacation."

"I figure that we should just travel wherever our fancy takes us," Sirius said.

"I recommend the topless beaches of France. It will be a good place to relax," Luna said.

"This may sound totally selfish of me, but I really don't want anyone else seeing you topless," Harry complained.

"We could always work on your dark lord image and visit the vampire covens in Transylvania. Not a good place for some tourists, but vampires are surprisingly hospitable if they believe you're strong."

"That actually sounds pretty interesting," Harry said.

They donned their armor and walked to a travel shop.

"Hello," squeaked a short balding man.

"We'd like transportation to Transylvania," Harry said.

"That is not one of our usual packages," the man said, "are you sure you don't want to visit the beaches of France?"

"Why does everyone think France is such a great destination," Harry pouted, "We're going to Transylvania. Are you going to help us or not."

"Of course..." The man's eyes flashed down to the sword where Harry's hand was casually resting on the pommel as Harry leaned over the man's desk. "What is the purpose of your trip?"

"We are just hoping to relax and make some new friends," Sirius said.

"Of course. Leisure then. When would you like to leave?"

"As soon as you can have a portkey for us," Harry insisted.

The man grabbed a ribbon that had been binding a scroll and waved his wand over it. "There just take hold of this."

Harry, Luna and Sirius grabbed a piece of the ribbon and immediately found themselves landing on a forest path, with the travel agent's desk.

"Well, that was rather rude," Luna said, "Didn't even wait for payment."

"At least the portkey is a nice one. I think this ribbon is made of silk." In the center of the ribbon was an embossed gold medallion showing a seated woman looking into a bowl and a man with a crown standing and waiting. Harry tied the ribbon around Luna's neck like a collar with a bow in the back and the medallion in the front. "Looks good on you."

Luna smiled and kissed him.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Greece, three uniformed men entered a travel shop.

"We were informed that we had a job here. We were too late to catch our targets at the last location. You should have a scroll for us from the oracle." The leader said.

The diminutive travel agent searched, but could not find any oracular messages.

"I don't have any oracular messages," he explained, "Everything has just been a complete mess since those three came in earlier."

"Can you describe them?"

"Their leader was a short man with long hair and a scarred face. He was wearing armor and carried a sword that felt like it was crying for blood. With him, he had a tall man with black hair. He had a sword as well as black as night. Then, there was the girl. She couldn't have been more than fourteen or fifteen years old, but wore the same armor as the leader. She did not seem to follow him willingly."

"And where did they go?"

"He insisted on going to Transylvania. They said it would be fun and that they would be making new friends."

"This can't be good. You heard what the wand maker said," the second uniformed man said.

"A dark lord who had made a wand so dark that it would surely cause immeasurable suffering," the first shuddered at the thought.

"What are we going to tell our superiors?" the third asked nervously.

"Frankly, I am glad we didn't catch them. This is way above our pay grade."

* * *

"I have a feeling we're being watched," Harry said. They had walked for over an hour and it was beginning to get dark.

"It can't be too much farther. A path like this is for walking, not for vehicles," Sirius said.

"Or maybe just for creatures who move faster than humans," Luna suggested.

"I vote, you two jump in the trunk and I'll just fly the rest of the way to wherever this path goes," Harry said.

"Well I vote we keep walking." Sirius said.

"Of course the dog wants a walk," Harry teased.

"I vote we surrender," Luna suggested.

"The girl seems to have a smart head on her shoulders," came a voice from the woods.

"I also voted we go to the beaches of France instead of Transylvania," Luna said, "But no, you had to be a better dark lord, gotta visit the vampires of Transylvania."

A dozen vampires appeared from the shadows. They were not the elegant vampires of muggle fiction wearing silks and seducing maidens. No, these were emaciated creatures with fangs wearing dirty rags.

"Did someone order delivery?" one of the vampires joked, "Or is this just a pleasant coincidence?"

"Actually I am kind of hungry," Sirius said, "If you brought food, I'll take some."

"You guys can have the clown. He probably tastes funny anyway," One of the vampires gagged, much to Sirius' chagrin.

"I think that's enough small talk," Harry said, pretending to be brave as he tried to remember how to kill vampires.

He had no garlic, nor crosses, nor holy water and the sun was already behind the horizon. He could easily transfigure a stake, but he'd never have a chance to use it. They weren't just going to sit still and let him pound it in. He really needed some combat training. No, he needed to get rid of them all at once. He had an idea and he had no idea if it would work.

"I will give you one chance to run. If you are still here in five seconds, you will die. Five..."

The vampires laughed at his threats as more appeared. "Do you really think you can kill all of us?"

"Four..."

The apparent leader stepped towards him. "I think you're bluffing."

"Three..." Harry drew his sword and raised it above his head, focusing his magic. He could feel the sword channeling his magic like a more efficient version of wandless magic. "Two..."

"You think you can mock us?"

"One!"

"Kill them all!"

One of the basic tools of wandless magic was the conversion of energy. Harry converted his magic directly into light energy, not visible light but pure ultraviolet light. Every nearby vampire burst into flames while Harry Sirius and Luna received an instant sunburn.

"Luna," Harry asked, "Do we have any burn paste made?"

"No," She replied grumpily.

Harry then used his metamorph powers to quickly heal his skin.

"We're going to go in the trunk and make burn paste. You can continue walking," Sirius said.

* * *

Harry was surprised that he wasn't accosted again before he reached a quaint little village. There was a stone fountain in the middle of the village that had long dried out. The statue meant to spout water was crumbling to the point that it was hard to tell it was supposed to be an angel. The buildings were made in an old style with thick wooden beams and wooden shingles. Many gas lanterns lit up the streets. Men and women wore dour faces and dressed in simple rough clothing, at least those that did now immediately run to their houses at the sight of a stranger. On the far side of the town was a small wooden church and Harry decided that it would be a friendly place to get to know about the local area.

Harry strolled to the town. The townsfolk shied away when he came near. Harry thought it was awfully rude of them until he realized that he was still wearing his sword and armor and was probably rather intimidating.

As Harry approached the church, he found that the church looked over a rather large and eerie graveyard. He wondered how such a small town had managed so many corpses. He tried the door. It was locked. Harry knocked on the door three times before a slit opened and a pair of eyes appeared and words in a language Harry didn't recognize were spoken.

"Excuse me," Harry interrupted, "Do you speak English?"

"I speak little," the man replied with a heavy Germanic accent, "What you want?"

"Is there a place nearby where my friends and I may get some food and a room for the night?"

"Friends?" the man asked.

"Yes, we were accosted in the forest and they received some minor burns. They'll be along when they've treated their wounds."

"Show me your neck and teeth."

Harry humored the man.

"You appear to still be human. That is rare for those that come from the forest."

Harry heard the sound of two heavy bars being shifted before the doors opened.

"You may enter." The priest was fairly young, but he had more wrinkles and far less hair than a man his age should have. His wide eyes bore a look of a man who lived in constant fear. "This place has not been safe since Dracule withdrew his protection. The wild ones feed and feed until there are more of them than living humans, then they attack in the night."

"Why did Dracula withdraw his protection?"

"No one knows. No one dares approach his castle. We know that his borders have been shrinking recently. It was not so bad when Dracule ruled here. He merely asked for blood and gold. If you paid, you were protected. If you did not, you disappeared. These others are mere beasts in comparison."

Harry was led to a small unfurnished room.

"I am sorry that I cannot offer you more extravagant accommodations. Why don't you leave your armor here and you can help me prepare a meal before your companions arrive."

"Thank you for your hospitality. This is more than my friends and I require."

The priest looked surprised, but bowed his head in acknowledgment and closed the door to give Harry some privacy.

Harry climbed into his his trunk to find Luna reading while Sirius stirred a cauldron. "Burn paste almost ready?" Harry asked.

"About fifteen minutes," Sirius said.

"I've found a local church that has given us a room for the night. It seems that Dracula's influence is shrinking and that's why we were attacked. I'm going to switch to my civvies then help the priest prepare some food."

Harry opened the door of his room to find a rather shocked looking priest.

"You look very different," the priest said warily.

"Yes. I find that people take you more seriously when you look intimidating." Harry adjusted his silk shirt.

"Come with me. Dinner is this way."

Harry was led through the church to a small living area. Harry didn't see any food or cooking supplies.

"I am sorry about this," the priest said from behind Harry. Harry found himself pinned to the wall with far more strength than a human should have. "I have not had a decent meal since I lost communication with my lord." Fangs bit into Harry's neck, then the vampire priest began to scream and dropped Harry. "It burns!"

"Well, yes, venom does that sometimes." Harry healed his own neck. The priest, rather than bite into a blood vessel had bitten into one of the small venom sacks. Harry had been working to develop them since bonding with Vindex, not that he'd ever gotten them to the point where he could use them. "I doubt my blood would be much better." Harry turned towards the vampire who now had his head dunked in a bucket of water.

"Wha awh hou?" The skin on the bottom half of the vampire's face had melted away, his tongue completely gone now.

"What am I? Just a man who has a bit of a thing for snakes." Harry elongated two of his teeth into fangs. "Now why don't you tell me what's really going on, or I'll show you what it's like to have someone bite you."

The man's face had already begun to heal due to his vampiric powers. "Fieh, I'uw khell hyue."

"I don't suppose you actually have human food?" Harry asked.

The vampire shook his head.

"Then I'll need to inconvenience one of my friends." Harry sighed. "Dobby!"

"Dobby is here!" Dobby appeared with a crack.

"We will be eating dinner here. Would you mind getting some food, as well as something suitable for a vampire?"

"Will master's Looney and Paddy be joining?"

"Yes, they'll be along in a few minutes."

Dobby popped away again.

The vampire watched Harry warily as Harry sat in the lone chair, watching in fascination as the vampire's wounds healed. Soon they were joined by Sirius and Luna.

"What happened to his face?" Sirius asked.

"It looks like he tried to drink hydra venom," Luna guessed.

The vampire scowled.

"No need to mock our gracious host now that he's just become cooperative," Harry chided, "Besides, you two don't look much better with that orange goop all over your faces. Well, actually, for our dog, it's a bit of an improvement."

Sirius growled. "Watch what you say pup."

"Down boy." Harry chuckled as Sirius looked dejected.

"Dogs don't get no respect."

"Dinner is ready," Dobby said as he popped back in. With a wave of his hand, the table expanded and food began to appear.

"So, you are wizards," the priest said, "I should have suspected as much from the armor you wore. Muggle vampire hunters are not nearly as well prepared."

"Yes, we are. I am the dark lord Sanies Sibilus. This is my dark lady Luna Lux. And this is my dog, Sirius Catulus, named after the star of course.

"Hissing Venom, Moonlight, and Puppy Dog. Interesting names."

"You know latin, and your accent seems to have disappeared."

"I was a scholar a few hundred years ago. Latin was a requirement. English is just convenient these days. The world changes quickly."

"What should we call you?" Harry asked.

"I am currently known by the name of Father Pietru. For the last four-hundred years, I have been a vassal to the house of Draculesti. I have served ever since I was turned by Vlad II Dracul, the first vampire in the Draculesti line. He is commonly known by the muggles as Vlad the Impaler because he would impale the bodies of his enemies on stakes. He used his strength and his vampire thralls to conquer, expanding the borders of Wallachia until our neighbours reached out to the Ottomans, the vampiric enclave that first turned Vlad II. Our armies were crushed and Vlad II was executed."

Pietru paused his story to take a sip from the tall glass that Dobby had provided for him.

"Pigs blood," he said with a grimace, "Though I suppose it is the best I can hope for these days." He wiped his mouth. "As I was saying, with Vlad II dead, Vlad III took his father's place. Vlad III was much more cautious than his father. He sought blood from powerful men and magical creatures to increase his strength. Soon, no vampire had the strength to oppose him, even the Ottomans failed to defeat him and he ruled unopposed over Wallachia using fear of his great powers. He was the one you have probably heard referred to as Count Dracula. You must understand that he was a powerful man. His physical strength was to vampires what normal vampires are to humans. He could withstand direct sunlight and heal from wounds that would kill any ordinary vampire. He could transform into a bat, a wolf, or even smoke. He could mesmerize you with just a look in your eyes. His very blood was a weapon that he could use to slay armies, bringing forth phantasms of every life he drank to fight for him. The more people fought him, the stronger he became. We thought that he would be the messiah, the one who would lead the Vampires to their rightful place in the world. But then, that man came. Abraham van Helsing. He was the most famous vampire hunter working for the Catholic church. He came to Wallachia. He was but one man, but in a week, the immortal Dracula was dead."

Pietru rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed before taking another sip of his blood. His three visitors waited, enthralled by his story.

"After that, the house of Draculesti entered negotiations with Transylvania. We would leave mortal affairs to them and aid them in battle. Our territory would be clearly defined. Any creature entering that territory was free game. The rest of Wallachia would pay tribute to the Draculesti in blood and gold. The Draculesti would pay tribute to the state of Transylvania and would ensure that any vampires not following the treaty would be dealt with. Since then, Vlad IV Dracule has ruled without trouble until recently. A few years ago, bands of feral vampires began to plague the lands. As they were discovered, y would be dealt with. Those that could be captured were captured. Their blood would join with that of those loyal to the house of Draculesti, giving us strength. Those that could not be captured were killed. We never found the source. A few months ago, I lost contact with the Draculesti castle. I tried to go to them, but the groups of ferals were too numerous and I'd not fed in so long. I thought that your blood would give me enough strength to break through the hoards that infest the forest and discover what has become of the Draculesti line."

"Ferals, would those be the thin vampires that were wearing rags that attack in large groups?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Pietru confirmed.

"There is one band you will not have to worry about anymore," Harry explained, "They attacked us in the forest, but I used my magic to give them all a nasty sun burn. Unfortunately, my two companions here got burned as well, which is why they are wearing that burn cream."

"Do you think we should visit with Vlad?" Harry asked.

"Now that we are here, there is no reason not to," Luna said.


	22. SUNDAY JULY 3, 1994

**SUNDAY JULY 3, 1994**

Harry left right after breakfast. Pietru was asleep in his trunk while Luna and Sirius walked alongside him. The people in the town seemed much friendlier in the light of day, though Harry had no idea what any of them were saying.

They left back in the direction they had come from, following the path through the forest. Supposedly, the path eventually led to Vlad's castle. Of course, since they were traveling during the day, it meant that there was no risk of vampire attacks as long as they stayed away from caves and extra dense foliage.

As pleasant of a day as it was, Harry was wishing that they had a car, or at least enough brooms for everyone to ride. By lunch time, they still had not passed through the forest, nor was there any sign of the forest coming to an end.

When darkness fell, it was decided that Luna and Sirius would remain in the trunk until Harry found a safe place for the night, in case he needed to cause another instant sun burn. Even with the burn cream, their flesh was still a little tender.

"Identificeer uzelf of lijden onder de gevolgen!" A voice pierced the darkness.

Harry looked around for the source, drawing his sword just in case. There was a sharp twang, and then a whistling sound. Harry raised his arm to protect his face, but the arrow was not aimed at his face. It struck his chest and bounced harmlessly off of his basilisk hide armor. Not wanting to get one of those arrows in his eye, Harry pointed his sword towards the direction the arrow had come from and used his magic to push the air like an invisible cannon ball. Harry felt the vacuum in his projectile's wake. The leaves rustled and parted before Harry heard a man cry out, then begin to curse rather colorfully in the same language he had called out in. Harry raced forward to a rather humorous sight. A man was hanging by his foot from the stirrup of a horse. He wore soft leather armor with plates of steel protecting his chest, forearms and shins. His crossbow was laying several feet away, far out of reach, and he was trying to reach the stirrup that had him trapped with a silver machete.

Harry strode forward confidently and knocked the man's machete from his hand, then placed his blade at the man's throat. "Who are you and why did you attack me?"

"Laat mij. Wat wil je?"

Harry sighed and withdrew his death wand. "Perspicio Lingua!"

The man screamed and covered his face.

"You understand me now?" Harry asked in Dutch.

"I'm alive?" The man asked, surprised.

"For now. Why did you attack me?"

"I believed you were a vampire," the man admitted, "It is my duty to patrol while my uncle and his forces try to kill the leader of the vampires."

"You are attacking the castle of the Draculetsi?" Harry asked.

"Yes. He is the most powerful of vampires. Thanks to him, these creatures are running rampant, killing and turning innocents. We have located and killed many of his generals, but more and more of the lowest class of vampire have been attacking us, trying to rescue their master."

"So, you are the reason these lands are no longer safe. You have prevented the Draculesti from killing the vampires that break the rules of the treaty they made with the government of Transylvania. How many hundreds have died just so that you can have the glory of slaying the strongest of the vampires?"

"You know nothing of the terror of the undead. They are strong, and fast, and feed on the lives of innocents!"

"And what innocents have been killed that have drawn you here? I have spoken to the people and they say that Draculesti protected them from the vampires."

"He has killed thousands!"

"Thousands of what? Murderers? Thieves? Rapists? Other vampires?Those on death row for their crimes? The innocent people were safe until your people came! I will give you a chance with a little game. If you can name one innocent person he has slain during your lifetime, then I will break down his gates myself to take his head! If not, I shall take the heads of those responsible for the innocent deaths that have occurred because of your unprovoked attack."

The man's eyes widened in fear.

"You can think of none?" Harry asked. He cut the ties of the man's armor.

"I don't know! Please don't kill me!" The man screamed in fear.

"Why not? You are willing to kill without provocation. You are just a murderer. Why should you be allowed to live when you refuse to give that chance to others?"

"I was just following my cousin's orders!"

"Just following orders? If your cousin ordered you to walk into a village and kill every child you could find, would you do it? Would you follow orders?"

"Of course not!" the man replied angrily, "I am not a monster!"

"Then why follow orders here? You wish to kill an intelligent being, one who has lived peacefully among humans, protecting them, for hundreds of years. You have prevented him from protecting the people, letting hundreds die and turn into feral vampires. You have killed children of many villages by your actions. You are a monster. So tell me, why should I not kill you?"

The man remained silent for several seconds. "They are not human..."

"Aren't they? Does a man stop being human when he dies? If I killed you now, would your body no longer be that of a man?"

"Yes!" The man answered defiantly.

"Then, I suppose I shouldn't feel too bad about this then." Harry raised his sword.

"Wait! I'll help you stop the siege. I'll convince my cousin to leave tonight. We will return home and never trouble the house of Draculesti as long as they continue to protect the innocent!"

Harry sheathed his sword and backed into the shadows, disappearing completely. "See that you do." The man quickly freed himself, gathered his things, then rode his horse off into the darkness.

Harry found a convenient spot, surrounded on all sides by concealing shrubbery. He cast a simple notice-me-not charm on the area, then entered his trunk. Inside, Sirius and Pietru were playing cards while Luna was reading.

"I've found out what was wrong. Hopefully the problem should be resolved soon."


	23. MONDAY JULY 4, 1994

**MONDAY JULY 4, 1994**

Harry, Luna and Sirius gulped nervously. They were surrounded and not by vampires.

"That's him!" a familiar man shouted, "He is the one who attacked me last night and claimed that he would save the monsters!"

"Time to start your reign of terror my lord," Luna joked as she drew her wand.

"Be prepared to close your eyes," Harry murmured back, "I may not have much choice in the matter."

A tall lanky man stepped forward. "My name is Adrian van Helsing. I command this legion of monster hunters. Surrender now, or die for your crimes against the human race!" The man wore white leather armor that was gilded with silver. Over his armor he wore a trench coat and on his head, a matching akubra with a wide floppy brim. Slung over his shoulder was an automatic crossbow. At his hip was a sword. Strapped to his side, just visible under his coat, was the largest handgun Harry had ever seen.

"My name is Lord Sanies Sibilus," Harry replied, "You have committed an act of war against a sovereign nation. You have accosted the legal and rightful ruler of this region. Your actions have caused an infestation of monsters and led to the deaths of hundreds of innocent people. I have no desire for further bloodshed. You will surrender and return to you home immediately so that safety and order can be restored or you will forfeit your lives."

"We will leave once the monsters have been eradicated."

"Then I offer you the same chance I gave to him," Harry shouted, "Name a single innocent killed by Draculesti within your lifetime. If you cannot, and you refuse to leave, I will kill you. If you can prove that his actions are that of monster, then I shall end his life myself."

"He drinks the blood of the people of this land!"

"Blood that is given willingly in lieu of taxes and does not cause harm to the people." Harry stared down the man.

Helsing reached for his crossbow defensively and narrowed his eyes.

"Even now, I bring word of attacks upon villages within Wallachia. How many messengers who were seeking aide from their count have you killed? How many villages have been destroyed because of you have prevented him from saving his people? How many innocents are now feral vampires that roam these woods seeking to prey on others because of what you have done?"

"You would defend this monster? His father led armies to –"

"He is not his father! You are not your father! I am not my father!" Harry interrupted, "His father was a monster. Abraham van Helsing was right to end Vlad III Draculesti. Vlad IV Draculesti lived in peace with humans for hundreds of years."

"If you defend these monsters, then we will show you no mercy!"

"Sonorus!" Harry flicked his wand towards his throat. "I do not want to kill, but you leave me no choice. Return to your homes immediately or suffer the consequences of your actions." He flicked his wand again. "Finite."

"Harry, are you sure it's a good idea to threaten them?" Sirius asked.

"The way I see it. We're fighting them either way. I'd prefer not to kill at least at least those of them smart enough to run. You both know shields that can stop physical objects, right?"

"Reicio should work," Luna suggested, "It's just like protego but with a different incantation."

"I know my shield spells. I was an auror," Sirius replied.

"If they attack, cast your shields and close your eyes."

Several of the hunters were becoming restless. Some moved a few steps back towards the forest in case Harry could deliver on his threat, but none made any real effort to leave.

"You leave me no choice," Adrian van Helsing said. He quickly drew his crossbow and fired.

"Reicio!" Harry's two companions yelled in unison. They were too slow to stop the first arrow, but those fired by the nearby hunters bounced off invisible shields, returning along the trajectory they were fired at.

Harry transformed and activated his petrifying gaze. He would not kill these men. They deserved to die for their crimes, but he would see if the count's justice was worth saving his life. Harry's gaze swerved from right to left. Not one of the men was able to look away in time to save themselves and most did not even try. He took to the air, flying around the perimeter of the castle. He could see some destroyed siege weaponry and the beginnings of new weapons being constructed. It seemed like not even vampire hunters had the common sense to just use muggle explosives to breech the walls, or perhaps the type of men that became vampire hunters were the type that would find it hard to pass any psychiatric test that would allow them access to purchase them. He couldn't believe how many men had followed the Van Helsings.

Harry finished his tour of the castle and landed by Sirius and Luna who had their eyes closed.

"It's safe to look, though a little mandrake draught would have fixed you right up. Shall we visit the humble home of the Draculesti? Preferably before the adrenaline leave me and I begin to puke my guts out over what I just did..."

The three walked up a steep path to the gates of the castle. A heavy iron portcullis barred their way, but a simple levitation spell or two opened the way enough for them to crawl under. Inside the walls, Harry was surprised to find extensive vegetable gardens and fruit orchards surrounding the keep as well as several human people tending them.

"You know, for the home of a vampire, I expected there to be fewer humans," Sirius said with a dry laugh. The people were all staring at them now.

A man that appeared to be a butler approached them. He said a few things in a language that Harry couldn't yet understand, then upon realizing that they could not understand him, beckoned them to follow.

They entered the main palace of the keep which looked rather uninviting with all the shutters closed. It was made of blocks of granite and iron over a structure of large wood beams. Inside, the floors were wood with red velvet carpets. Weapons, tapestries, and larger-than-life portraits adorned the walls.

They were led to a large dining hall where a single, rather tired looking, man sat at the head by a crackling fireplace. He was wearing a red silk bathrobe and pink fuzzy bunny slippers as he sipped red liquid directly from a decanter. His long curly black hair was frazzled and his sunken eyes were puffy and dark. In one hand was some sort of periodical he was reading. The man gestured for them to sit down.

"Mr. Potter, Ms. Lovegood, and Mr. Black. Welcome to my home. Or do you prefer Sibilus, Lux and Catalus?" the vampire asked in flawless English.

"We do not want our true identities to become known. There are those that would try to interfere with our vacation," Harry said cagily.

"You need not fear. Few vampires have such a mastery over the mind arts as I, and no one in this castle other than myself has regular contact with the wizarding world. You could shout your name to the heavens and there are few who would recognize it and none who would care."

Vlad placed his magazine on the table and Harry saw the picture of his patronus racing across the front announcing proof of the existence of the crumple horned snorkack.

"I received this yesterday. I usually find this magazine highly amusing, but I was quite intrigued, not only by the images of you patronus, but the declaration of the existence of the ancient dark lord who fought for equality of races and sufficient government oversight." The ancient vampire chuckled. "You'll need to excuse me if I seem a little off. I have not had much opportunity for sleep lately."

"Well, you should have one less immediate concern to worry about now. The vampire hunters that have been accosting you are now mere lawn ornaments until they receive a dose of mandrake draught. Speaking of which, Pietru has come to see you about all the feral vampires that have been running around since those men killed your overseers. He is likely still asleep in my trunk."

"It will take me a few days to clear a path to the forest so that my warriors can deal with them. Those men encircled my home with salt and holy water, then planted garlic all over the field surrounding this place. The stench is rather incapacitating up close, unless you wouldn't mind transporting a contingent of my warriors out to the edge of the forest at dusk I am still rather impotent in the matter."

"If it will save lives, then I'll gladly help," Harry offered.

Vlad nodded. "If you need anything, please ask one of the staff. I must rest."


	24. WEDNESDAY JULY 6, 1994

**WEDNESDAY JULY 6, 1994**

Pietru jabbed with his rapier, striking Harry in the chest.

"I win again," Pietru gloated. Pietru was a governor and priest, not a warrior. However, Pietru did have a few hundred years experience on Harry and had not lost a single match in the two days they had been sparring. When Harry had voiced his desire to learn to use his sword, Pietru had volunteered since he had nothing else he could do until the actual warriors cleared his area. Though Harry had not yet won, Pietru was now fighting at almost half of full skill level, though he had limited himself to being just slightly faster and stronger than Harry.

Though Harry had offered to ferry the warriors, Sirius had taken that job on himself claiming that Harry needed the training more than a good deed or two. Luna had found out that one of the vampire women staying at the keep had exceptionally strong precognitive abilities and had decided to follow in Harry's footsteps and seek training from someone more experienced. Harry had no idea what they were doing for training, but Luna assure him that is was beneficial.

Vlad had not graced them with his presence since they had arrived. There was no shortage of food; Meals were held regularly for the human workers and the cooks were more than happy to provide snacks when they were not busy preparing a meal. Surprisingly to Harry, not one person had offered to turn one of them, though a couple of vamps had asked if they would mind letting them have a taste of their exotic blood but accepted a polite refusal with no hard feelings.

Harry faced off against Pietru again. The Sword of Gryffindor was a bastard sword, so it could be wielded in either or both hands and for piercing or slashing attacks, though it was not particularly effective at either compared to some other swords. It was neither extremely long, nor extremely short. It gave him a rather balanced attack and defense. Because he did not want to accidentally kill Pietru, he was using a dull similarly-sized sword that was provided for training instead of the actual Sword of Gryffindor.

Pietru alternated between a killij, perhaps one of the best slashing swords in existence, and a rapier, a pure thrusting weapon. Occasionally, Pietru would dual wield either or both types of sword. He had become a master with the killij during the reign of Vlad the Impaler. It had been the standard sword used by the Wallacian army at the time. A couple hundred years later, however, he had traveled to England for an, at the time, modern education. In England, the sword of choice had been the rapier, so he had picked up that new skill as well.

It was an effective learning experience for Harry. He had quickly become adept at deflecting slashes. Turning away thrusts, however, required much more technique and less brute strength.

"Keep your sword up," Pietru corrected, a correction he had made at least a dozen times before, "If your sword is down, you must fight gravity to attack and will tire quickly, assuming you don't die from leaving every vital point exposed." Pietru was currently wielding a rapier.

Harry jumped forward in an attempt to thrust. Pietru easily twisted to the side and struck Harry's hand with the pommel of his sword. Harry's hand went numb and he dropped the blade.

"I think it is time for a break, and Vlad would like to have you for dinner."

"Did you warn him what happened when you tried that?" Harry joked.

"No need. He has come to enjoy the civilized things in life, like glasses and napkins." Pietru put the training blades back up on the wall. "Come, he awaits you in the dining hall. Your friends have also been called."

In the dining hall, Vlad IV Draculesti looked rather more regal than they had last seen him. He wore shiny black shoes with square toes and rather extravagant gold buckles. His socks were white with red trim and went up past his knees where puffy black ruffled pants hid their tops. On his torso, he wore a red doublet with golden tassels. Around his head was a simple gold circlet. He looked like he was playing a prince at a renaissance fair. Harry idly wondered if red was actually his favorite color or whether Vlad just wore red to make any stains less visible.

"You like my clothes, yes?" Vlad asked, "I have always felt most comfortable in the clothes of my youth, especially when they are created with the finest textiles that modern factories can produce."

"Yes, they are quite regal, though I prefer a more modern style for myself," Harry replied diplomatically.

"No need to spare my feelings. I know I look quite silly when you compare my clothes to what you are used to."

Luna arrived, talking with her new vampiress friend. Harry did not bother trying to talk over the chattering girls.

When Sirius arrived, Vlad clapped his hands loudly. Silence fell on the room. "If we could be seated, we shall begin dinner and get down to business." Vlad sat at the head of the table. Being a titled lord, Sirius was given the seat of honor at the foot of the table. Harry was made to sit at Vlad's right hand as the honored guest and Pietru at his left as a visiting friend. None of the other vampires joined them for dinner. Harry had learned that eating and drinking for a vampire was a very private thing, especially in the presence of mortals.

"Harry, you have done me a great service. While those hunters would never have entered my home, I am not sure my lands would have survived until I could have escaped the imprisonment they forced upon me. Over the last two days, I have spent my time ensuring that the feral vampires will be dealt with in the usual manner. However, I would like your opinion on what I should do with my new lawn ornaments."

"I think they should receive fair trials. They did a terrible thing to your lands, but not all of them were evil men. With a little mandrake potion they will return to normal and be able to answer for their crimes."

"What do you think a fair punishment should be?" Vlad asked, "After all, they attacked my home. They made war without provocation. Many innocents died because of their actions."

"I think those that kill because they enjoy killing must die. They are murderers who leave nothing but destruction so that they can sate their own perverse desires. Those who kill because they lost someone close to a vampire should be made to serve the people of Wallachia in some way until they learn that not all vampires are like the ferals. Those that were merely providing support functions such as managing supplies and are not killers should be fined to cover the cost of medical care and transportation and be sent home after they've been shown the suffering their actions helped to cause, and if they cannot pay they shall have to work it off at reasonable wages."

"That sounds fairly reasonable. But, if these men stay on my lands, what should I tell my people when they see some of the men that caused their pain alive and well?"

"You tell them that you are a fair and honorable man. You give justice not revenge. The right path is almost never an easy one, nor is it always light, but taking the easy way out will always just cause more problems in the end, just like not listening to a girlfriend who is a seer."

"Harry, these words I am about to speak to you, keep them in your heart because they will serve you well. Listen to your girlfriend regardless if she's a seer, or even right. Things will go better for you."

Harry laughed.

"I wish I could do as you have suggested," Vlad said, "That would be the best course of action. Unfortunately, they are no longer a threat and no longer my jurisdiction. The government of Romania, the current muggle government, are responsible for such incursions once they have been dealt with. The gypsy witches and wizards will acquire the potion required and those men and women will be tried under Romanian law. I have no say in what happens to them now, at least not without breaking the treaty. I want you to know, however, that if the vampires of Transylvania can be of aide in the noble cause of Dark Lord Sibilus, then I will gladly give my support. Just know that what I can do is rather limited due to my obligations."

"Thank you for your support. Perhaps a letter to the quibbler when you get the chance. What I need now is publicity, and I am sure that a letter of support from the great Count Dracula will help my standing and show that I mean what I say about equal rights for all intelligent creatures."

"Consider it done. Unfortunately, I am still rather busy and I am afraid I will not be a good host for the remainder of your visit. In three days, helicopters will begin to arrive to transport the hunters to Bucharest. You will identify the leaders of the hunters and you will have a spot reserved for you to travel with them. You will need to give statements to the authorities, and then you will be released to do what you will. You should easily be able to find transportation to your next destination from there by magical or muggle means, though I do recommend looking into ways to provide your own transportation. It is a handy skill to have."

Vlad put down his empty glass and disappeared in a cloud of smoke before dessert was served.


	25. SATURDAY JULY 9, 1994

**SATURDAY JULY 9, 1994**

Harry deflected the killij and pushed back, causing Pietru to stumble half a step. The vampire had only slightly over committed to his attack. Harry slammed his sword down onto Pietru's then moved his arm across, allowing his blade to slide across Pietru's until the base was next to Pietru's neck. Pietru's free hand slammed into the back of Harry's elbow, straightening it. The vampire twisted, maintaining his grip on Harry's arm while letting the blades fall harmlessly towards the floor. His hip met with Harry's and Harry suddenly found himself upside down before his back hit the floor and drove the breath from him.

"Not bad," Pietru said, "You almost got me that time. Just remember, the sword is a part of your body, so when you fight with swords, you fight with your whole body. While the blade may be the most dangerous part of your body, it is not the only dangerous part of your body."

"I'm beginning to think that I don't have any dangerous parts on my body," Harry groaned, using his metamorph powers to rapidly heal his bruises and torn muscles. This trick had been a great help to his training endurance. While his muscles would still tire, any injuries he received from training were quickly remedied, growing stronger and more toned with each instance of healing.

"I dare say you are quite dangerous, at least by current human standards. You will be hard pressed to find a human these days that could match you while you use your blade. What you need now is experience against different styles and different fighters. Some hand to hand combat training would also help you to use your body effectively. But, I am afraid this as far as our training sessions go. I can hear the helicopters landing."

* * *

Harry, Sirius, and Luna were deposited at a hotel in the Athenee Palace Hotel just after dawn and given three rooms, as well as a group of armed guards. Naturally, the guards spoke Romanian and were muggles so they could not communicate nor use magic to facilitate communication. Rather than argue, they merely only availed themselves of two of the rooms. It was nice to sleep in high-class accommodations. Even while staying in Vlad's castle, they had kept to the accommodation provided by the trunk. While the guards did not speak English, the room service menu did since the hotel was accustomed to travelers. Harry gladly taught Luna and Sirius how to order food and drinks. The fact that their bill was being covered by the Romanian government gave them little reason to show restraint in this area.

* * *

The three visitors were taken from the hotel in the afternoon and driven to a large government building that serviced both muggle needs as well as magical ones. While the magical areas were not precisely hidden from view, the card readers that gave access to the rooms had signs hidden from muggles that showed a picture of tapping the reader with a wand. They were taken to a room with a table, chairs, and a large mirror that obviously concealed an observation room.

"Bună seara. Sunt Vincet Ducheru, un ofițer Departamentul Securității Statului."

"Umm, could you repeat that in English?" Harry asked after a few moments of uncomfortable silence.

This caused the man to look rather irritated as he walked over to the door and picked up a phone that was attached to the wall and made a call. He then sat in a chair and waited impatiently. A few minutes later, a man in a different uniform entered. He wore a wand on a chain around his neck that had a compulsion for muggles to see it as a valid identification card.

"I apologize for this little mix up. I can act as a translator for your deposition," the man said.

"If it's alright with you, we know a spell that allows us to learn another person's primary language. We just don't want to appear to be seen as doing something threatening or breaking the statute of secrecy, especially since the spell looks quite dangerous, even though it is entirely harmless."

The wizard seemed a little surprised that the younger man was taking the lead, but didn't comment and just spoke to the man who had first addressed them, then turned back to Harry. "We will bring in a low level clerk. You may cast the spell on them. Naturally we do not want unknown magic being cast on someone highly ranked, especially mind magic when that man is knowledgeable of dangerous state secrets."

"Of course. I don't like people casting spells on me either, especially if I don't implicitly trust them," Harry agreed.

Another phone call was made. A few minutes later, a young man in a third uniform entered and saluted. The first man who had greeted them barked an order. The new arrival replied with an affirmative nod, stood by the door, and then closed his eyes and covered his ears.

"I assume this is being recorded?" Harry asked, nodding towards the mirror.

"It is," the wizard replied.

"Would you like me to explain the spell as I use it so that you will be able to use it later?"

"That would be most helpful."

"You start the wand movements with a downward flick with a curve towards the right, like this. Then you do a jab towards the head of the person you want to learn the language from. Fairly simple." Harry turned toward the mirror and demonstrated again to give an alternate view as he demonstrated the movement again. "The incantation is Per-Spih-Chi-Oh Ling-Gue-Ahh." Harry turned back to his provided target. "Perspicio Lingua!" Gray lightning jumped from Harry's wand and struck the man in the head. The man shivered but showed no other outward signs. "And, now, I know Romanian." Harry demonstrated. Luna and Sirius then cast the spell as well.

"Thank you, that was a most useful demonstration," the first man said, "you two are dismissed."

"Since this involves magical creatures, shouldn't you have a wizard present?" Harry asked after the two left.

"Is a lycanthrope not magical enough for you?" the man asked.

"Sorry, I thought you were a normal muggle who just happened to know of our existence," Harry explained.

The man looked at him oddly, then relaxed back into his seat. "As I said before, I am Vincet Ducheru. I am an officer of the Department of State Security. Do not bother asking about us when you leave here. We do not exist officially. We handle the relationship between wizards, vampires and werewolves within Romania. You may not have realized, but Romania has some of the largest populations of so-called dark creatures in the world, especially vampires and werewolves. Unlike in other countries, here we are numerous enough that the government was unable to marginalize us and criminalize us without risking retribution that would be most unhealthy for the state. Instead, they made treaties with us. We are given lands where we may act as our instincts require without fear of retribution as long as we follow certain rules and deal with rule-breakers on our own. Naturally, we are not allowed to kill humans nor turn them without consent, the sole exception to this is criminals who are on death row, or those who enter our lands for the purposes of harming the inhabitants."

"That sounds quite reasonable," Harry agreed.

"Unfortunately, this leaves us with a slight problem. Young men and women who hate vampires or werewolves often come to Romania in hopes of hunting and killing us. Usually it is merely one or two people and we are able to handle it without getting the state involved any more than necessary. You, on the other hand, have caused us quite a bit of trouble. Had you just killed the hunters, we would not be having this conversation. As it is, they are criminals who have conducted an act of war against a sovereign state and have been captured. By international treaties, we are now forced to provide them with suitable accommodations and healthcare until they can be identified and their governments contacted. Those who are not retrieved by their governments must be processed by our courts, and only magically aware courts which already have a backlog."

"I apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused," Harry replied, "But I will not apologize for my actions as they saved numerous lives."

"Vlad said you'd say something like that, and the government does agree, though we do not appreciate the strain it puts on us. Of course, due to the enormity of what has occurred, I must ask how you managed to do whatever you did to the hunters and how the situation can be reversed."

"I used the gaze of a cockatrice to petrify them. A mandrake draught will return them to normal."

"And where did you get this cockatrice and how did you control it?"

"It was not difficult," Harry said. §I have a way with snakes.§

The man shivered at the sound of the hissing. "You are a parselmouth. That is a rare ability, and often associated with the dark arts."

"Yes, unfortunately. However, the ability itself is not dark, merely a talent a witch or wizard may be born with."

"One more question, who are you and how did you enter Romania without passing through customs?"

"Ahh, that is an interesting story. We went to a travel agent in Athens, Greece, and requested a chance to visit Transylvania. We were really hoping for a chance to meet Vlad. There appeared to be a portkey malfunction as we ended up in the middle of a forest filled with feral vampires that had not been dealt with due to the hunters' interference. Fortunately we were able to escape with only minor burns and, with the direction of one of Vlad's vassals, we managed to go to his home and due to the circumstances were forced to intervene."

"And your names?"

"Oh, yes, of course, I got caught up in the story and forgot to mention them. I am known as Lord Sanies Sibilus. The lovely lady is known as Luna Lux. And the old dog is Sirius Catalus. Would you like to know anything else?"

"No, that will be all for now. You will be escorted to a courtroom where the leaders you pointed out will receive a trial. Your accounts will of course be required. We will also arrange to have your entrance papers made up before you leave."

"Thank you for your hospitality. I have found the government of Romania so far to be rather pleasant and reasonable, I hope England will pick up a thing or two from you."

* * *

"Lord Sibilus, could you give an account of the events that led to petrification of the legion of monster hunters in Transylvania?"

"Of course. We originally arrived in a large forest that lies between the home of Count Draculesti and the village where one of his overseers, Pietru, resided. We were soon set upon by a large group, more than thirty, feral vampires. I utilized what is essentially an overpowered tanning charm to eliminate the threat. This left my companions with a severe sunburn. Since my trunk is charmed feather light, is expanded, and shrinkable. My companions rested inside, preparing burn cream while I continued to travel. We arrived at the village where Pietru resided late in the evening. I approached the local church in hopes that the priest would know where we could receive food and lodgings for the night. At this point, Pietru was near feral himself from lack of blood. He invited me in and attempted to steal a drink, but changed his mind almost immediately. I provided him with some pigs blood and he explained how he had been unable to contact Vlad due to the large numbers of ferals terrorizing the area.

"Since we also wished to meet Vlad, during the day I carried Pietru in my trunk towards Vlad's residence. Late in the evening, a voice called to me in a language I didn't know. Due to my last encounter in the forest, I naturally put up my guard and called for identification. Instead of a verbal reply, I was shot in the chest with an arrow. Fortunately it did not penetrate my armor. I used a spell that produced a cannon of air and returned fire, incapacitating my attacker. I approached and found that man." Harry indicated one of the petrified men. "I then used a spell to learn his native language, Dutch. He explained that he was a member of a group of professional monster slayers who were here to end the life of Count Draculesti. I explained the folly of impeding Vlad's work and he promised to leave the area by the next evening."

Harry took a drink from a glass of provided water.

"The next day, my companions and I arrived at Vlad's home which was still surrounded by men gearing up for war. The man I had let return saw me and rightly claimed that I was on the side of Draculesti. Then his cousin," Harry indicated the other man, "Adrian van Helsing, began a rather heated discourse with me. When I saw that he was not acting reasonable, I asked my companions to prepare shielding spells. I explained how Vlad kept the area safe and said that if they did not immediately begin to leave the area, I would deal with them myself. I could not let the situation last or else more innocents would die or become ferals.

"Van Helsing fired an arrow which did not penetrate my armor. My companions immediately erected shields as the entire army began to attack. I did not want any more meaningless deaths, so I used the only non-lethal option I had available that could deal with a large number of hostile forces. Using a conveniently available cockatrice, the entire army was quickly petrified. Over the next few days, I helped Vlad move his forces outside the barrier Van Helsing had created to keep him trapped inside his castle and they began dealing with the feral problem."

The magistrate then asked, "Where did you acquire the cockatrice?"

"That is a family secret. Suffice it to say that I always have access to some conveniently available serpents."

"Do either of you have anything to add to the testimony?"

Neither Luna nor Sirius had anything relevant to say. The three were led out to the lobby of the courthouse where a man was waiting for them. After looking at the goblin forged travel permits and having them tap their wands on recording parchments, they had officially passed to customs and were free to wander as they wished.

Thanks to Remus Lupin, they already had an in depth knowledge of werewolves so they had no desire to stay in Bucharest. Since they had their travel papers, they went to the train station and were lucky enough to catch a train leaving for Warsaw, Poland.


	26. SUNDAY JULY 10, 1994

**SUNDAY JULY 10, 1994**

Warsaw was a city of diametric contrast. Historical and artistic stone architecture stood next to the blocky concrete monstrosities of modern low-rent apartment styling, interspersed with the occasional field of glass.

Finding a cab where the driver knew some English, the three travelers asked to be taken to an inn in a part of town that had a lot of historical architecture. They guessed that in that type of area was where magical portions of the city would be found.

The driver took them to Castle Inn in old town. There, they requested a single room for two or three days. The proprietor attempted to argue with them, but Harry insisted that a single was all they needed and that it was more for storing their belongings for the duration of their trip than actual sleeping.

With the entire day ahead of them, they began exploring their immediate surroundings.

* * *

"Sir, we contacted the Greek authorities," a young aide reported.

Vincet Ducheru looked up from his mountain of paperwork. "Is this really important. There is much work to be done."

"I would have handled it myself, but the matter is a little delicate. The oracles of Greece warned the authorities of the return of a dark lord, the rise of ancient powers long lost, and of a mysterious traveler. They detected the presence of an illegal portkey entry into their country. They managed to track the visitor to a maker of custom wands.

"There, they learned that the man identified himself as a dark lord who was returning after some sort of hibernation. He provided several samples of dangerous magical substances including his own blood, and parts of a thousand year old basilisk, a cockatrice, and a hydra which were used to create custom wands for them. The dark lord watched him create the wand, questioning everything he did with his hand on his sword. He claimed that the wand he created for that man was the deadliest he had ever heard of, perhaps even surpassing the legendary death stick. Fearing for his life, he handed over the wands he created without asking payment.

"When they went to report their findings, they received another oracular message that the traveler would be leaving and that further information had been sent ahead to the travel agency where they would leave from. By the time they had gotten to the travel agent, it was too late. The traveler had threatened the travel agent into creating a portkey to Transylvania, then disappeared, taking the travel agent's desk, records, and even the oracular instructions with him."

"And this dark lord just spent a week negotiating with the vampires and came out on friendly terms after he petrified over a thousand trained killers without really trying, and walked through a feral vampire infested forest at night. They did all this and the only wounds they received were mild sun burns. I don't care how much extra paperwork this will cause. I am glad that he is no longer our problem. He left for Poland last night."

"Should we inform the Polish Ministry of the danger?"

"Send them everything we know. If someone dies because we didn't, this could cause a severe international incident."

* * *

The magical district was not difficult to find. The Old Town Market had a hidden archway right next to the literature museum. Of course, being in the magical district did not help when none of them spoke the language, so Harry, approached a man who looked rather haggard.

"Do you speak English? Romanian? Dutch? Greek?"

The man shook his head and shrugged.

Harry tried a different approach. He held up his wand, mimed casting a spell, then retrieved five galleons from his pouch.

The man smiled and nodded.

"Perspicio Lingua!" Harry cast the spell then asked, "Is this Polish."

"No, Russian," the man replied, "I have a friend whose first language is Polish who will want some extra gold. That is a language learning spell, yes?"

"It is," Harry confirmed, "It is useful for traveling."

"Come with me. I will bring you to him."

"This man speaks Russian," Harry explained, "But he says he has a friend who would be happy to help for a Galleon or two."

"You go ahead, but be careful," Luna said, "We'll wait here until you get back."

Harry looked at her quizzically. Obviously something was not right here, but there was something he was supposed to do. Harry followed the man towards a dark and forbidding alley. Once they were around a corner and away from prying eyes, Harry felt a wand to his back.

"Jeśli dasz mi swoje złoto, to się nie stanie," a gruff voice said.

"Is this your friend?" Harry asked nervously, suddenly realizing that going alone into a dark alley with a stranger probably wasn't the smartest idea.

"He is, and he is most definitely Polish."

"Can you tell him that I'll give him five galleons if he lets me use a spell to learn Polish?"

"No, I think I'll tell you to give me all your gold, that is if you don't want to get hurt."

"I don't actually have any gold. My money pouch is actually connected to my vault in Gringotts."

"In that case, drop your pouch." Harry did as he was told, wishing that he was not wearing his civilian clothes; Dark lords got so much more respect.

The ragged Russian grabbed the pouch from the ground and disappeared. The next thing Harry knew, he was losing consciousness.

* * *

When Harry woke up, he found himself tied to a chair in a dusty old warehouse wearing nothing but his underwear. A man lay on the ground nearby next to Harry's expanded chest. Harry wandlessly cut his bindings and retrieved his possessions. In a fit of juvenile revenge, he stripped the man, took the few coins he had, then vanished the mans clothes and snapped his wand and then cast the language learning charm just in case. Not wanting to take any chances, Harry changed into his dark lord armor, covering it with a thick cloak. He felt a lot more secure dressed as a dark lord.

Upon examining the warehouse, Harry found that there were two doors. He chose one, the wrong one. When he entered the room, there must have been twenty large men there. Some were smoking, others were gambling, and still others were drinking. Some were doing all three. Harry glanced around, looking them each in the eye before calmly saying, "If you want to live, you'll not make trouble."

A man grabbed a nearby pool cue and tried to strike Harry over the head with it. Reacting on instinct, Harry drew the Sword of Gryffindor, knocked away the pool cue, then stuck the tip of the sword into the man's throat. Harry watched in horrified fascination as the blood sprayed, tinting his vision red and coating his sword. He had never actually expected to be able to hit anyone with his sword after he had so often failed against Pietru. He couldn't help but laugh at the irony of it and to stop himself from breaking down in tears. The boy who couldn't hit the broad side of a barn had just cleanly executed someone.

The next few minutes were all a blur. Spells flew back and forth as Harry dodged and struck with blade and magic. And then it all stopped when Harry was the last one standing. He had a couple bruises, but nothing serious. He healed his bruises, then cast a quick cleaning charm on himself before rushing out the exit.

Harry wandered around lost until he found himself in a park next to a large building with a fenced-off stone patio behind it. There was a fountain in the middle of the patio that felt oddly magical to Harry, so he hopped the stone railing and approached. Focusing his eyes, he found that the mouth of the lion had some sort of enchantment, it looked almost like one of those that was on the serpent head of his trunk. Guessing about its function, Harry cut his finger on one of the teeth and let the blood drip onto the tongue. A few moments later, there was a deep rumbling and the fountain raised up out of the way to reveal a spiral staircase.

Harry cautiously descended the steps to find himself in a dusty old cellar. It was obvious that no one had been here in a long time. Against one wall, piled to the ceiling, were burlap sacks. Against the other was a very sturdy rack with an array of small kegs. At the far end of the cellar was a door. The door swung inwards into a hallway. Inset into the walls of the hallway were shelves filled with burlap sacks. At the end of the hallway was another spiral staircase. Next to the staircase was a partially full sack. Harry opened the top of the sack and peered in. Inside were fist-sized egg-shaped objects.

"Lumos!" Harry lit up the inside of the sack and gasped. The eggs were made of gold.

Harry closed the sack and descended the staircase into a cavern. The inside of the cavern was an underground lake with water dripping into it from stalactites. A path led from the staircase to a raised dais. Harry followed the path. He chanced to look down and noticed that the bottom of the lake was filled with rounded stones. Then, he realized that they were not stones but more eggs. Small transparent fish darted in and out from among the eggs, emitting a soft effervescent glow.

Harry reached the dais and found a naked woman sleeping on a bed of kelp. He coughed loudly to get her attention. The woman stirred and wakened.

"Who are you?" The woman asked, showing no modesty whatsoever. He had long golden blonde hair, full lips, and extremely full and tantalizing curves.

"My name is Lord Sibilus," Harry introduced, "Who might you be?"

"I am the cursed golden princess of Ostrogski Castle."

"Cursed?" Harry asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"There is a way, but if you fail, you'll never find me again," the princess whimpered, "It's been so long since I have had anyone visit me."

"Just tell me what I have to do," Harry promised.

The princess rummaged through her bed, eventually coming up with a large sack which she handed to him. It was full of gold coins. "You must spend all of this gold before the sun sets but you must only spend it on yourself."

Harry shrugged. It seemed easy enough. "You have a lot of gold eggs. How many can I buy with this much?" Harry asked, handing the sack back.

"All of them," the princess answered, "And me as well. Quack!" Instead of a princess, there was now a large goose with golden feathers.

Harry shrugged. "Dobby!" The house elf appeared.

"Yes, Master Harry Potter, sir? Dobby is here to help."

"I have three tasks for you. First, I need to go to Gringotts. I'll leave my trunk here with you. While I am there, I would like you to set up everything the golden goose requires from now on and then take care of her like you do Vindex. Finally, as you can see, the bottom of this lake is full of gold as are the hall and room upstairs. I will arrange with the goblins a fair price for them." Harry summoned one of the eggs. "I would like you to gather them and transport them to the goblins for me as well as any others she might lay."

"As you wish," Dobby replied happily. He grabbed Harry and popped him over to Gringotts.

Harry walked up to Griphook. "Hello again, Griphook," Harry greeted, "Can we talk in private?"

"Of course, Lord Sibilus. And, may I say, the Goblin Nation fully supports you in your goals."

"I am pretty sure every intelligent non-pureblood in England supports my goals," Harry deadpanned.

"But you'll find that most of them do not have the resources that Gringotts does."

Harry nodded and was led into a private room. "I have a few items of business. First, someone tried to mug me. Could he please be dealt with and my pouch returned or a new one purchased."

"Of course," Griphook replied, "He will of course face goblin justice."

"Goblin justice is harsh but fair," Harry conceded, "If you could, I am running out of muggle money. Could the pouch be modified to produce local currency as well?"

"No, but we can provide you a goblin credit card though which you can use at any bank or automatic teller machine for a small fee."

"Thank you," Harry said, "Naturally, procuring this card comes with a small fee of its own."

"Of course," Griphook said, "Will that be all for today?"

"There is one more little thing. I believe you'll find it rather profitable." Harry revealed the golden egg and dropped it on the desk in front of Griphook.

Griphook scrutinized the egg. First he looked it over. Then he weighed it in his hand. Then he knocked on it. Then he licked it. Finally he bit it. "Pure gold of the highest quality."

"I have about a million or so of those, and expect to acquire more on a semi-regular basis." Harry explained. "If you received them, you would mint them into coins right?"

The goblin nodded. "Our coins are more durable than plain gold due to our forging process. We give the gold a crystalline structure that makes it almost as hard as diamond while decreasing the density. Each of these eggs would net about five-hundred galleons."

"Will three percent provide the goblins with adequate profit?" Harry asked.

"Thirty percent would be preferable."

"I'm pretty sure the goblins would be happy if I paid you to take them off my hands," Harry joked.

"Five percent would be our minimum to make enough profit to make it worth doing at all. Seven would be the minimum we could offer you a continuing contract on."

"If you can get it down to six percent, you can keep that one," Harry offered.

"Deal," Griphook said, pocketing the egg as he began to draw up the contract."

"How many eggs would it have cost me for the three percent I initially asked for?"

"We may mislead, but we do not lie," Griphook said, "Anything less than five percent would not have been enough profit to be worth the labor. Even at six percent, I have to include an exclusivity clause. You cannot sell to anyone else unless it is done through Gringotts."

Harry signed the contract with a blood quill once Griphook was done. "I cannot sell the golden eggs to anyone else. But it does not say that I cannot give the eggs away to someone else, for instance Luna or Sirius, and if they then chose to sell them..."

"Giving an egg as a gift is one thing. Giving a large number of eggs to someone with the expectation that you will profit from it somehow, no matter how convoluted the method is, will be prevented magically by the contract, even if it must go so far as to remove your life. Do not take blood contracts lightly."

"I have no intention of selling them to anyone else. Gringotts has proven to be reliable for me, so I will continue to be loyal to Gringotts. If I donated some to charity, would that be allowed?"

"If you have no connection to the charity other than your donations, then yes. To be safe, I would use anonymous donations, or donations under a pseudonym like Harry Potter."

"But that's my real name!"

Griphook shook his head condescendingly.

"I have one more favor to ask," Harry said, "This one is not as important. But, I was wondering if I could cast a spell on a goblin that would allow me to learn Gobbledegook."

"Let's step outside. The defenses do not appreciate wands being drawn within the bank."

* * *

After being returned by Dobby, Harry left the patio area and walked around the building to find out that it was now the Chopin museum. He did a quick tour of the museum, and on the way out, he asked the receptionist for directions back to Old Town. He met Luna and Sirius back at the inn. They had acquired the ability to speak polish from one of the shopkeepers as well as learning about some locations to visit the next day.


	27. MONDAY JULY 11, 1994

**MONDAY JULY 11, 1994**

The Polish aurors looked around the warehouse in disgust. Blood and gore were everywhere.

"I found one still alive!"

"There's one in the next room unconscious and naked in a chair. I recognize him as the leader of the gang."

"Rennervate!"

"Uggh," the thug was missing his wand arm below his elbow and had a large oozing purple lump on the side of his head.

"What happened?"

"We took a tourist to shake him down for his money. His coin purse was a portkey. One of our guys disappeared. We managed to stun him from behind. We took everything. His wand, his clothes, his trunk... We even tied him to a chair while we took a break to get something to drink while the boss went through his stuff. Not five minutes later, a man breaks down the door and tells us that anyone who interferes would suffer the consequences. One of the men tried to strike him with a stick. He drew his sword faster than my eyes could see. He knocked the stick away and slashed our boy's throat. The blood sprayed all over him and he began to laugh as he took our men apart. The man was like a demon. Under his cloak he was wearing some sort of black armor. I hit him with a reducto in the chest. He shrugged it off like it was nothing. Then, he cast a disarming spell on me..." The man looked at his stub of an arm. "He did this with a disarming spell!"

* * *

"So, where to first?" Harry asked after a traditional polish breakfast.

"First, lets visit the Siren in the river. Can you believe that the muggles think it's a mermaid colony. They have obviously never hear a mermaid speak out of the water, nor have they seen actual mermaids. Those things look more like sardines with arms than anything attractive," Sirius scoffed.

"Well, they haven't seen them in a long time. The Sirens stopped venturing into those polluted waters a long time ago," Luna explained, "Now if you want to see them, you have to go through the statue in the middle of the Old Town Market.

"Come on. It's best to go early before too many muggles are around," Sirius said.

They walked back down towards the market. This time, instead of traversing the stores around the edge, they went to the middle of the square and climbed down a trap door that was hidden from the muggles.

There was a surprising amount of light below the ground. It was provided by fluorescing plants and fungi that lined the damp walls as well as shafts of sunlight that seemed to appear through bricks in the ceiling that were transparent from below. A steep winding staircase made its way down from the entrance to a small peninsula in the large body of water below. A small waterfall rained down into the basin from one of the walls. The water had both open areas as well as several penned off areas where fish could be seen. The sirens were busy tending to the fish or playing in the water. A couple sat on the edge of the peninsula and were singing a song that seemed to be luring Sirius away with a blank look on his face.

"Sirius?" Harry asked.

Sirius began to hum along with the singing as he traipsed without a care down the stairs.

"Sirius, snap out of it!" Harry shouted.

Sirius didn't but the singing stopped as the sirens turned to look ar the commotion.

"Wake your bloody ass up!" Harry called, smacking a still humming Sirius on the back of the head.

"Oi, what was that for?" Sirius complained.

"You looked like you were about to jump right down there and drown yourself."

"I did not! I have more self control than that," Sirius huffed.

They continued to descend. The singing did not resume, though the Sirens who had been singing were waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs.

"You know, it's usually the women who need to knock some sense into the men when they hear us sing," one of the sirens said in strangely accented English.

"This is the first time a man has resisted our call," another said.

The Sirens looked fairly human if you only looked above the waist and ignored the gills. They were all women and all naked. Their hair was all long, though the colors of their hair seemed as varied as the rainbow. Of the two that greeted them, one had fairly normal black hair and the other had sea foam green hair. Their scaled lower bodies were not monochromatic, but the pattern of the scales approximately matched their hair color.

"That means that his heart is firmly set on another and cannot be swayed, even by the most desirable of females," the first said, making Harry blush.

"Umm, hello," Harry said, "My name is Lord Sanies Sibilus, this is Luna Lux, and the one with no self control is Sirius Catalus."

"It's nice to meet you," the black haired one said with a wink, "You can call me Blacky since your human tongue could never pronounce my name."

"And you can call me Foamy," the other said.

"Welcome to the Siren cave."

Harry looked around in confusion. "Is it just me, or are there no male sirens?"

"You're right. There is no such thing as male sirens. We lure those with weak or unattached hearts with our song to collect their seed to fertilize our eggs. And, we have plenty of fish, so despite what you've heard, we will not eat you if you choose to allow us to take what we need."

"In fact, I am told that it is a rather pleasurable experience," Foamy giggled, winking at Sirius.

"Why don't you get to know the other sirens better, you two. After all, as visitors it is our duty to become intimately familiar with the local culture, and you know how I am about duty," Sirius intoned somberly, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smirk.

* * *

Harry, Luna, and a rather happy looking Sirius left the Siren cave and had lunch at a restaurant.

"So, where to next?" Harry asked.

"We could always go back to the siren cave," Sirius suggested.

"I think you've had enough of that," Luna said, "Next we visit the Warsaw basilisk. Legend has it that the basilisk guards some sort of treasure."

"So where is this basilisk?" Harry asked.

"In the basement," Luna answered.

"In the basement of what building?"

"This one of course. Did you think it was called the Basilisk Restaurant for nothing?"

§Stupid humans, almost asking for people to get eaten.§ Harry cursed.

A rumbling hiss shook the building. §I agree.§

"Did you feel that?" Sirius asked.

"It felt like an earthquake. The basilisk must be pretty large."

"We'll see," Harry waved over the waiter.

"Can I get you anything else?"

"Can you show me the way to the basement. I'd like to visit the snake."

"This building has no basement," the waiter answered, "the basilisk is merely a legend."

"That's what they said about the last basilisk I killed."

The waiter looked a little weirded out by Harry's statement. "I will get the manager for you," the young man finally decided after a few seconds of awkward silence.

The water returned with an elderly gentleman a few minutes later. Harry could see the wand stuck in the old man's belt.

"You may leave us," the wizard said to the waiter. Once the waiter had left, the manager addressed them. "I am afraid that the basilisk is not open for public viewing. We prefer that our patrons remain alive."

"I assure you that the basilisk will not harm me. I have a way with snakes." To demonstrate, Harry enlarged his trunk and opened his room. §Vindex, come out. I'd like you to meet someone.§

The two headed hydra climbed out and coiled around Harry. §Who is this?§ the hydra asked.

§This is the man in charge of this establishment.§

§There is a basilisk here,§ Vindex said.

§Yes, I am trying to get permission to visit the basilisk and find out what he is guarding.§

§Yes, come,§ the basilisk said. There was the sound of splintering wood. §No one has come to visit, or even try to slay me in over a hundred years.§

"What was that?"

"The basilisk is lonely. When it heard my desire to visit, it got a little excited. There is nothing to worry about. I'm actually kind of excited myself. It has been a while since I last saw a basilisk and he was not as friendly as this one."

The manager was paling and shaking. Vindex leaned forward and flicked his tongue towards the man, tasting the scents of fear.

§You would think that a man who lives here would not be so afraid of snakes.§

"You can go!" the manager cried out.

"We'll wait up here with him," Luna said, "We can take care of him if something happens."

"Good idea. He doesn't look well," Harry agreed.

Harry followed the hall to a door. Behind the door was a staircase that led to another door which had buckled inward recently.

§We're coming down. Please close your eyes.§

§It is safe for you to approach.§

Harry pushed open the damaged door and saw the basilisk curled up at the far end of the cave.

§I have never met a human speaker before,§ the basilisk said, §I have been here so long.§

§Not so long. The last basilisk I met was three times your size, but a bad wizard controlled him and I was forced to kill him. It was rather unfortunate.§

§His den was much larger than yours.§ Vindex pointed out.

§If it is no longer in use, may I go there? You can have the stupid stick.§

Harry looked over and saw a pedestal holding an intricately carved silver staff.

§I don't even know why I was asked to guard it. He said that only the master of death could wield its full power so it could never fall into mortal hands. Who cares whose hands it falls into if only the master of death can wield it.§ the basilisk grumbled.

§I have nothing against giving you his lair, provided that you do the job that he turned his back on.§ Harry said.

§What was he to do?§

§His lair lay under a school for wizards and witches. There were many tunnels around the school and a couple to areas outside the castle. One went to the lake and another to the forbidden forest.§

§He had a whole forest?§

§Yes, he could visit the forest as he pleased. He could go out to hunt, or just hunt the rodents in the pipes of the school. His job was to protect the students from dangers, such as bad men attacking the school. If I bring you there, I want you to promise not to harm any intelligent creature unless they attack the students, or like the acromantulas will attack any student who comes near them. That means, no harming the students, teachers, house elves, pets, centaurs, mermen, unicorns. You may eat as many rodents, dangerous, or game animals as you need.§

§What creature would eat a unicorn? Do you think I wish to be cursed?§ the basilisk scoffed.

§I was unsure if a basilisk would fall prey to such a curse,§ Harry replied, §Would you still want to live there even with these conditions?§

§Yes. I wish to leave here. Your conditions will make hunting more challenging, but there will be more to hunt.§

Harry walked up and placed a hand on the basilisk's cold scaly snout. The basilisk shifted and pushed against his hand.

§Basilisks are beautiful snakes. I wish I could see your face with your eyes open without dying. Even in my cockatrice form, I would be felled by your eyes. It is a pity Basilisks can not control it as a cockatrice can. Would your magic resistance prevent a house elf from transporting you?§

§I do not know. Call your elf and see.§

§Very well, I will try,§ Harry said, then called for Dobby.

"Where is this place, master, I was almost unable to come when you called."

"It is a lair where a basilisk was asked to guard something. There are probably wards protecting the area. Dobby, would you be able to pop the basilisk into the Chamber of Secrets?"

"Dobby will do it, then Dobby will sell more eggs." Dobby touched the basilisk and the two disappeared. Harry picked up the staff and returned upstairs.

"I'm back," Harry said, "The basilisk has been sent to a new lair. Even though he was relatively young, he was still pretty big. I also brought back his treasure." Harry handed the staff to Luna. "Do you think this will go well with your outfit? Only the master of death is able to unlock its true potential."

"I think this will be perfect," Luna said. She tapped the bottom of the staff on the ground and a scythe blade sprung out of the top. It suddenly felt as if they had been surrounded by dementors as temperatures dropped and Harry's worst memories began to surface. "Yes, this will definitely complete my image."

"The manager seems to have fainted," Sirius said.

* * *

The Polish aurors flashed badges with strong compulsion charms at the proprietor of Castle Inn.

"We are looking for three people. A man who looks no older than a teenager, a young girl, and a older man. They may have behaved oddly or requested things that seemed abnormal."

"They checked out about twenty minutes ago," the proprietor said, "They were odd ones. They asked for a cheap room and did not care about sufficient bedding. They claimed that it did not matter because it would not be used for sleeping. When I checked their room after they left, I noticed their bed had not been touched since they arrived, in fact nothing had been used at all."

The aurors walked to the Basilisk restaurant to meet with the manager who was calming himself with a cup of tea.

"You reported the three unusual people that came here?"

"Yes. While they were eating, the basilisk began to act up. It shook the entire building. It has never behaved like that before. One of my servers came to me and said one of the tables was acting odd. The customers were insisting on going to the basement to see the basilisk. They refused to take no for an answer. They seemed pretty normal at first. Then, he insisted that he could not be harmed by the basilisk. He enlarged a trunk, and from within it he called a large snake. It must have been at least eight feet long and as big around as my arm. If that wasn't enough, it had two heads. He began to talk, well hiss, to his snake and the basilisk. Then his snake got in my face and bared its fangs. There was a crash from the basilisk's chamber. He told me that the basilisk was getting excited. I didn't want to know what horrible things he had planned, so I stepped aside and allowed him through. He left his two companions to 'take care of me' if anything happened. He returned a few minutes later. He said the basilisk had grown a lot in five hundred years and that he had sent it to a larger lair. He gave the girl a silver staff and said that only a master of death could unlock its true potential. She tapped the staff on the ground and suddenly I felt cold, and like every bit of happiness had been taken from me. The next thing I knew, I was waking up on the floor. I flooed for the aurors immediately."

"You are lucky to be alive," one of the aurors said, "I can't believe you said no to him for even a minute."

"Why? What did he do?" the manager asked fearfully.

"You know the mafia syndicate that was establishing itself near here?"

"I have heard that bad things have been happening to people who go alone into dark alleys."

"This man went alone into a dark alley. Threw off a stunner, but pretended it had worked and allowed himself to be caught. He was tied naked to a chair where he waited until the entire gang had arrived. Only two men were left alive. One was the leader of the gang who did not know what had happened until we found him naked and tied to a chair. The other was in such bad condition he wished he was dead. This man that was here, he goes blood crazy. When he is angered, he kills everything. Even the most powerful spells and other weapons bounced off of him, and even his weakest spells were deadly. His disarming spells would remove arms. His stunning spells were like killing curses. He could swing his sword and cut a man in two from across the room."

* * *

The three caught an afternoon train to Berlin. They ate dinner on the train and arrived a little after eight in the evening. Considering how much of a danger Albus Dumbledore was, they wanted to learn more about World War II, especially of Grindelwald's involvement. At the suggestion of the taxi driver, they spent the night at the Hotel Am Olivaer Platz which offered a low price though it wasn't in the best location.


	28. TUESDAY JULY 12, 1994

**TUESDAY JULY 12, 1994**

The three travelers were wondering whether to take the underground or the bus when they noticed a cab conveniently idling across the road. The driver was holding a large drink purchased from a local McDonald's and a wax paper wrapper was crumpled on his dashboard.

Harry crossed the street and knocked on the window. The driver waved, indicating that he should climb into the back. Sirius climbed into the front passenger seat. Harry sat behind the driver and Luna behind Sirius.

"Where to?" The driver asked in English.

Harry wondered what had given it away. Was it something about how they were dressed? "The Berlin Wall Museum, please."

The driver picked up a map book and a book of local attractions, finding the route a minute later.

"How are you enjoying Berlin?" the driver casually asked as he drove.

"It's been nice so far, but we haven't really done anything yet, so that could change pretty quickly," Harry answered, "I am hoping that we don't run into any trouble."

"I am sure that everything will go smoothly. Germany has become a lot more hospitable to foreigners in the last fifty years."

"That's good. It always makes me angry when people are treated badly because of where they come from, what they look like, who their family is, or even what illness they may be afflicted with."

"Yes, we remember how terrible things can become when other people are treated as less than another. If you are visiting the war memorials, you will learn of many atrocities that shame our nation."

"I hope one day that I can change the world so that things like that don't happen anymore."

"It is an admirable goal," the taxi driver agreed, "but you would be fighting human nature. We hate what is different and fear what we do not understand."

They traveled in silence for a while, taking in the scenery.

* * *

"How was your visit," the cab driver asked. For some reason, he had waited for them to complete their visit.

"We did not see what we were hoping to," Harry said, "I was hoping for more information on the leaders behind the war."

"I think I know what you are looking for," the driver said as he began to drive.

* * *

This time the drive was more than three times the distance. They ended up at the memorial for the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. While the things described there were disturbing, they didn't find what they were looking for until they went to look at the crematorium and saw that there was a building being completely ignored by the muggles.

They entered the building and found that it was bigger on the inside than on the outside. On the walls were wizarding pictures of muggles being used as test subjects for various curses. There were a surprising number of witches and wizards visiting this site.

"The entrail expelling curse," Harry read the caption to the first picture.

In the picture, there was a wizard with a wand, a man writing notes on a clipboard and a naked muggle man who was shackled to the floor. Harry watched in horrid fascination as the wizard in the photograph launched a beam of light at the prisoner. It struck the man in the chest. For a moment the man looked constipated, then like he was in incredible amounts of pain as blood began to spray from his belly button. His stomach split horizontally like some sort of macabre grin as the man's intestines began to spill out onto the ground. The worst part was, when it was over, the man was still alive. The picture reset to the beginning.

The next picture was the exploding bowels hex. He did not bother to watch the image. Next came the skin flaying hex. After that, the flesh stripping curse. Harry was beginning to notice a pattern. The bone breaking hex was followed by the bone exploding hex. The dislocation curse was followed by the dismemberment curse. There was a version of the spell that killed you, and one that just made you wish you were dead.

Harry was feeling pretty sick by the time he had gone down the list. Even if he hadn't been looking, he had witnessed the results of many of the curses. What was worse, he was pretty sure the German write ups included the incantations, which meant that this might as well be called 'Dark Wizard Training School'.

At the very end was a vault. On it was a plaque that read that it contained the details of the worst of the curses created by Grindelwald's researchers that were found to be too dangerous for public display.

Harry found Sirius and Luna by the window, looking pretty green. "I think I've seen enough," he said.

Six cracks of apparition interrupted the visitors. A group of men in gray cloaks bearing a symbol of a vertically bisected equilateral triangle with a circle inside that touched all three sides of the triangle. Four began to fire curses while two began attacking the safe.

Luna began to shield as Sirius began firing stunners at the cloaked men. Harry held out a hand, causing the sword of Gryffindor to appear in it, then threw the blade. It pierced one of the safe crackers between the shoulder blades. He then began firing disarming charms while he used wandless magic to blast the attackers into the walls.

Two of the attackers were now dead or permanently incapacitated. Several visitors had been caught in the crossfire. For some strange reason, none of them, despite having wands, were doing anything more than cowering in fear. The remaining safe cracker revived the two that Sirius had stunned. The three active attackers now focused their fire on the three fighting back.

"Avada Kedavra!" The green lightning was headed for Luna. Harry didn't think, he just reached out and caught the killing curse in his hand before throwing it back at the caster. He wondered briefly how he had accomplished that but resumed the fight immediately.

The safe cracked and the door fell to the ground with a thud. The safe cracker began to help his companions fight. Harry wandlessly summoned Gryffindor's sword. It flew in a direct path, which currently happened to be through the other safe cracker's neck. The two remaining attackers began working together. One shielded while the other cast a steady stream of blasting curses. Luna and Sirius could do nothing but shield.

Since they were pinned down and unable to attack unless they wanted to use unforgivable curses, Harry decided to experiment. He imagined his magic forming the thinnest and strongest blade he could imagine along the blade of his sword. He swung the sword and imagined the blade flying like a boomerang, curving around to strike from the enemy's blind spot. The angle was better than Harry anticipated. First the blade entered the attackers neck, coming out below the shoulder. Next, it continued into the shielder's ribs, out through the hip, then passed right through the floor and into the ground where Harry lost track of it.

"Well, that does it. I am not going to let the darkest arts known to man sit around unguarded where any idiot could steal them." Harry dropped his trunk, opened the storage room and dropped the entire contents of the safe inside.

"Harry, you've got a little..."

Harry yelped in pain as Luna picked a large splinter of floorboard from his cheek. "I think it is time we moved on. I've had enough of Germany."

"Yes. We got everything we needed," Luna agreed.

"So where to next?" Sirius asked, "We're pretty close to Switzerland."

"I don't think so. We don't want the goblins to think we've been conspiring with the gnomes," Luna rebuffed.

"We could do the Netherlands, see if all the Van Helsings are as crazy as the ones who attacked Vlad," Harry suggested.

"Okay, do we have any idea where they live in the Netherlands?" Sirius asked.

"No, but I know how we can find out. I bet that the cab driver is still waiting for us."

They walked back out the entrance and did indeed find the cab waiting for them.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" the driver asked.

"Yes, though it was a little more unpleasant than I expected," Harry answered, "We will be leaving later today, but we need to confirm our destination. Could you please take us to the nearest internet cafe?"

The driver began looking nervous. "I do not keep track of those establishments. But, if you're just looking for a good cup of coffee, then I..."

"Just use a point me spell," Harry said, knowing only a magical would not see the significance of the internet part of internet cafe, "I have no desire to remain here longer than necessary."

The driver took a wand from his glove compartment, looking rather sheepish. He cast the spell, but got no result.

"Harry, you can't find something with that spell if you don't know what it is," Luna said.

Harry drew his own wand and tried the spell. "Just drive, I'll tell you where to go."

* * *

The cab driver returned to his base, the German Auror Special Forces Field Office. He reported directly to his superior. His superior was looking very upset.

"Where has that dark lord gone?"

"He left on the train to Amsterdam," the undercover agent replied sullenly, "I picked him up first thing this morning. He sat behind me where I could not see his face in the mirror and answered all questions vaguely, though he did often mention the fact that he did not like when people were treated differently because of who or what they were rather than what they had done. He had me drive him and his companions to the Berlin Wall Memorial. I did not know why they would want to go there since there is no magical portion I did not know what he was looking for. When he returned, he told me that he had indeed not found what he had hoped to and requested to be taken somewhere that had more information on Grindelwald, though he referred to him as the leader behind the war. I took him to Sachsenhausen. When he returend, he informed me that he had found exactly what he had been looking for, though the visit had not been as pleasant as he had expected. He then told me to take them to an 'intern it' cafe. He was obviously slightly irritated, because he stopped pretending not to know I was a wizard and told me to use magic to find one. I was unable to, so he used magic to navigate for me. He stopped in the cafe for about fifteen minutes then asked to go to the train station where they purchased tickets to Amsterdam."

"And that is all you were able to determine?"

"He was very reticent to talk freely in front of me," the agent said defensively.

"And you didn't happen to notice that some of Grindelwald's former forces attacked Sachsenhausen. Nor did you notice that the dark lord killed them all with spells so strange and deadly that no one could identify them. He caught a killing curse in his hand and threw it back! And, as soon as he had sliced the last two men in half with a cutting spell that not only attacked them from behind but also dug almost twenty meters into bedrock, he then decides that Germans are idiots for not providing better protection for the spells that even Grindelwald was afraid to use and stole them all."

"I didn't realize anything had happened. They didn't have a mark on them."

"No, he is much more dangerous than we were told. Inform the Dutch ministry of what is coming their way. They will need time to prepare."


	29. WEDNESDAY JULY 13, 1994

**WEDNESDAY JULY 13, 1994**

The Netherlands was a much easier country to navigate thanks to Harry having already learned Dutch. Sirius and Luna soon learned Dutch as well when Harry asked for directions, distracting a muggle long enough for the two of them to sneakily cast the charm.

It wasn't far to the home of the Van Helsings, so they decided to take a leisurely stroll. They stopped at a local bakery on the way for a bag of pastries then at a nearby park to eat while watching the local children playing.

Sirius wolfed his food down first, then transformed into Padfoot to go play with the much more mature people already playing. Usually children loved playing with Padfoot. Sirius had told Harry that, when he was a baby, he used to ride on Padfoot like a horse, then somberly informed him that he was a little to big to try that now.

The children reacted oddly. Instead of screaming in delight, they were screaming in fear and running from the big black dog.

"It's Old Red Eyes!" they screamed, "He'll eat you if he catches you!"

A sulky looking Padfoot returned and Harry gave him one of his pastries to cheer him up.

* * *

Lord Sanies Sibilus, Lady Luna Lux, and a large black dog stood imposingly in front of an elderly couple.

"You are the Van Helsings, the family of dark creature hunters?" Harry asked.

"I'm sorry, but we're retired. Our active members work out of the Vatican."

"We shall see them soon then," Harry said, "For now, we'd just like to talk. Hopefully you will be more reasonable than Adrian was."

"So you're the one who defends the monsters," the old lady looked at him shrewdly, then down at the large black dog.

"I only defend the innocent," Harry replied, "It seemed to me that your family does not care what is done by those you slay, only that they are not human." Harry scratched Sirius behind the ears. "In my experience, dark creatures are like humans. There are those like me and those like you. I kill to protect things. You kill indiscriminately. I am just here to offer up a warning. If your family continues hunting those of the creatures that are innocent, I may find that you are too dangerous of a family to let continue. Have a good day, ma'am. And, pass along my warning to the rest of your family."

The woman slammed the door in his face.


	30. THURSDAY JULY 14, 1994

**THURSDAY JULY 14, 1994**

Knock! Knock! Knock! A large group of aurors surrounded the motel early in the morning. They had already cast muggle repelling wards and anti-transportation wards around the area and cast a sleep spell on the entire area that should ensure that anyone inside was asleep until dawn. There was no response.

"Alohomora!" The lock clicked open and the aurors rushed in to find an empty room.

One of the aurors cursed. "They aren't here!"

"Don't be so sure," another said, "They could be hiding, or invisible, they might even have noticed us coming and set up a trap.

"Hominem Revelio!" Each of the aurors glowed yellow.

"Adapertio Sonor!" Another auror tried.

"Whomph!" A wave of sound passed through the room.

"I got something, over there!" the caster of the echolocation spell said, "Whatever it is, it's shielded."

The aurors gathered around the black chest.

One tried to open it. "Ah! A stinging hex!" he cried out before trying again and receiving a stunner for his efforts.

"Alohomora!" One tried to unlock it magically. A cutting curse flew from the chest and sliced the man's wand in half. The wizard cursed and stepped back. This is probably what saved his life.

"Just blast it open! Bombarda!" The room exploded, killing all but one who now activated his emergency portkey.

* * *

Harry woke with a start. The wards on his trunk had just activated. Harry tried to get up, but Luna was having none of it. Her warm comfy pillow was to stay until she was finished with it. Harry shook her awake.

"Uggn..." Luna whimpered and buried her face in his chest and tried to sleep.

"We need to get up. Someone is trying to break into the trunk," Harry said.

Luna rolled off of him and lay half dangling out of the bed. "Too early. Want to sleep," she complained.

Harry wrapped her up in the sheets then got out of bed himself. The wards had gone off twice more already. He pulled on a pair of jeans and grabbed his wand as the wards went off two more times. He peeked out of the chest and couldn't believe what he saw. His room no longer existed, and the adjoining rooms were thrashed. Bodies littered the burning rubble around him. He wondered for a moment what happened, but then thought that it would be better to get as far away from the area as he could. He quickly grabbed some more clothes, shrunk his trunk, and began to walk.

Harry eventually came to the park where they had eaten last morning. It looked far different now than it had then. The darkness gave it a haunted look that creeped Harry out, especially since he had just returned from a motel littered with dead bodies. A rustling in the bushes drew his attention. A large black dog exited the bushes, drawing towards him.

"Padfoot? Is that you?" Harry asked, being fairly certain that Sirius was still asleep in the trunk.

The black dog came closer and Harry could tell it was definitely not Padfoot by the glowing red eyes. It growled threateningly. Harry remembered the shouts from the children as they had run from Padfoot. This creature was supposedly an eater of children.

As Old Red Eyes approached, Harry fingered his wand, prepared for an attack. Once close, the dog growled looking at him, then turned away.

"You want me to follow?" Harry asked.

The dog let out a deep "Woof," then began walking back towards the trees. He paused for a second and growled when Harry did not immediately follow.

Harry followed the dog through the woods and followed a small stream a ways before crossing and entering a large furnished cave.

The dog stopped, then transformed into a black man who was at least seven feet tall and had glowing red eyes. Harry saw a young girl lying on a mattress with a bruised face. He looked from the girl to the black man, drawing his wand.

"Her father locked her in the basement and beat her," the man explained, "He would have killed her three days ago if I had not taken her."

"You saved her?" Harry asked.

The man nodded. "My kind loves children, but we are cursed with premonitions of their deaths. We take the children we see to spare them their fates. It is said that we eat the children we take, but that is not true. We merely keep them safe until a good home can be found."

"And I was going to die?" Harry asked.

"It was a possibility. It was more likely that you would kill many good men because they do not see the real you."

Harry sat down on a chair. He was exhausted. "I've killed before."

"And you will do so again, but I can only protect you from so much."

"Thank you..." Harry fell back asleep.

* * *

Harry woke up to the feel of a little hand tugging at his sleeve. Morning light was creeping across the floor of the cave. The little girl with the bruised face was looking at him inquiringly.

"The black man says it's time to wake up. Who are you?"

"My name is... Harry," he said, deciding that he did not want to scare the little girl.

"I'm Anna," the girl replied with a curtsey, "We need to go soon if we want food today. The people in town don't like the black man."

"It's okay," Harry said, "We don't need to worry about going anywhere. Dobby!"

"Yes, Master Harry, sir?"

"Could you prepare breakfast this morning? We will be eating with two others. And, make sure that there are plenty of leftovers that will last."

"Dobby understands," Dobby said as he popped away.

"What was that?" the girl asked.

"That was Dobby, he is my house elf. In return for some of my magic, he helps me out when I ask him too. I try not to ask too much because he is a really hard worker."

"Magic?"

"Yes... I can do a lot of magic. My friends can too. One of them can even transform into a dog like the black man can."

"Now that's silly. The dog turns into a man, not the other way."

"Would you like to meet my friends?"

The girl nodded shyly.

Harry took his trunk out of his pocket and enlarged it. "Don't try opening this. There are traps on it to stop thieves, and if you keep trying, they become more dangerous." Harry opened his trunk and began to climb in. "You aren't afraid of snakes are you?"

The girl shook her head.

"I have a pet snake too. He's very interesting since I can talk to snakes."

Harry dropped into his trunk. Luna was already awake.

"I suppose this means we can leave the trunk now?" she asked, putting down her book.

"Yeah. I asked Dobby to make some breakfast. There's one of those things that the children thought Padfoot was out there. Turns out they only kidnap children who are about to be killed to protect them."

"Well, I suppose that is better than being eaten, though I have heard that it might not be so unpleasant depending on what eats you..." Luna said, "I've heard that there is a giant insect that will suck out your insides, but the fluid it injects makes you feel so good that you don't care."

"I think I'll keep my insides inside for now," Harry said shuddering at the mental image Luna had conjured.

"Well, they'd be outsides then if you didn't wouldn't they."

"Why don't you go out and meet Anna and the dog then," Harry suggested.

"Okay," she replied happily, grabbing Vindex and hanging him around her neck, "I'll take him with me."

§Please try not to scare the girl and don't bite the dog-man, even if he looks scary.§

§Will you give me a ferret?§ Vindex asked.

§Glutton. You ate two days ago. I can still see the bulge.§

§I didn't say you had to give it to me now...§

§Fine, I'll ask Dobby to try and get you a ferret for you next meal.§

Vindex hissed happily.

Harry went to Sirius' room. The old dog was still asleep. Harry transfigured some trash into jelly, used a warming charm to make it body temperature, then began to tickle Sirius' nose with a feather. As usual, Sirius didn't fall for the prank, instead he smashed the jelly into Harry's face.

Ever since Sirius had gotten over the health issues he had from his stay in Azkaban, he had begun pranking. It had started off small, then had escalated. Eventually, Harry had felt like revenge was in order. Sirius had made his pranks backfire on him every time. Fortunately, this lessened his urge to prank enough that most of the days went by without something inexplicable happening. Without the twins around, however, Harry feared that he and Luna would be in grave danger of being pranked soon.

Harry used the scourgify spell to clean his face. There was probably a less abrasive spell to use, but Harry didn't know it. He restored the first couple layers of his skin. The scourgify spell was meant for more intense cleanings. It was excellent for things like scrubbing stone floors (he really would have loved using that in Snape or Filch's detentions), or cleaning out the bottom of a bird cage. It was not recommended for use on cloth or skin. Though it would work, cloth would wear out rapidly if the charm was used regularly and skin was left a little sensitive.

"Time to get up," Harry said, "I found you a friend. He's just like you, a big black dog that turns human sometimes."

"Very funny, pup," Sirius grumbled and yawned.

"Shouldn't that be hatchling, after all I am a snake?" Harry queried.

"You'll always be a pup to me. As much as I respect you and your pets, I don't like snakes."

"I suppose that's why you always love having your pranks used on Slytherins."

"Of course, it almost feels like pranking my own family," Sirius boasted "I can't name the last person from my family that wasn't a Slytherin or me."

* * *

"He disappeared? He killed a full assault group of our aurors and then just disappeared?" The division captain was furious.

"We tracked him to a local park, but then he went into the wilderness and his trail faded to nothing. There were no traces of portkey or apparition. His trail did not disappear as if he had flown away, it fades away. We have no idea how he did it."

"So we have a lunatic dark lord on the loose, and we have no idea where he is or how to find him?"

"That about sums it up sir," the reporting auror said.

"I don't care if you have to station an auror on every street corner in the country. Find him before the minister has my head for your incompetence!"

* * *

Harry and Luna were taking Anna shopping. The girl only had one dress, the one she had been wearing when she had been rescued. The little girl was extremely excited about the outing. It wasn't long before her tattered tunic was replaced with a colorful sundress and hat. It had all been great fun until she suddenly froze mid-step and started trembling.

"What's wrong?" Harry reached discretely for his wand.

The girl was looking at a man who had just stepped out of a butcher shop. "My dad..." she whimpered.

"He's the one who hit you?" Harry asked.

The girl nodded and hid behind him.

"The big guy in the red shirt and jeans that is sort of balding at the front?" Harry glared angrily at the man.

The little girl nodded.

"Luna, can you take her back, please?" Harry spat out.

"You shouldn't do this," Luna said.

"Please take her back, I'll be fine," Harry responded coldly.

Luna took Anna and Harry began shadowing Anna's father, following him back to his home. He changed into his dark lord armor and knocked on the door. A teenage girl, a healthy teenage girl, opened the door.

"What kind of freak dresses like that?" The girl asked. This naturally brought back bad memories of his own relatives.

"What kind of freak beats one of his daughters and leaves the other untouched?" Harry asked coldly.

The girl looked at him, shocked by his knowledge of what went on in their house. He waved a hand and levitated the girl. She screamed as he walked into the house.

Harry slammed the door and drew his wand. "Colloportus!" The door sealed. "Anna was kept in the basement wasn't she?" Harry asked.

Harry carried the girl down to the basement as loud footsteps came from up the stairs. Harry stomped down the stairs and soon found Anna's room. It was hidden in the corner behind the furnace. It was larger than his cupboard under the stairs. He tossed the girl into the room and sealed the door as the man approached at a run, swinging his big meaty fist. Harry let himself be hit and was thrown into the wall.

"You are stronger than my uncle. Did you hit Anna like that?" Harry asked, "What made her so different from your other daughter?"

The man was trying to break down the door.

"It won't open," Harry said.

"She got what she deserved. The girl had powers from the devil. I would have burned her if I thought I could get away with it!"

"So, strange things happened when she got angry, scared or upset?"

"Exactly! You know what she is then!"

"Yes, after all," Harry waved a hand pulling the man towards himself, "She and I are not so different after all. My uncle aunt and cousin think I am a freak too. But there is one difference between me and her, I've been taught to control my powers."

"No! Devil worshiping scum! Release me!"

"Let me out!" Anna's sister was banging on the door.

"Petrificus Totalus..." Harry cast, rendering the man immobile, "Alohomora!" The teenage girl tumbled out of the room.

"Papa!" The girl ran over and knelt by her immobile patriarch. "You killed my papa!" she cried.

"No, he is alive," Harry said, "He just can't move. Now tell me about your family."

* * *

"Hello, this is the police. Is everything alright?" The operator asked.

"I would like to report that a child beater has suffered a rather nasty fall several times in a row and may need medical attention to survive. I believe he suddenly became remorseful for his crimes and decided to punish himself. You can find him at..."

* * *

The aurors arrived on the scene soon after the police had locked the area down. They had been alerted to the issue when their informant in the hospital had told them about a man who had been beaten to within an inch of his life, then had three lines of text. The first read, 'I will not beat'. The second, under a mild notice-me-not charm read, 'The magic out of'. The third line was just the word 'CHILDREN!'

"Lots of trace magic here. It's him."

"Can we trace him?"

"Yes, call for backup."

* * *

Harry leaned against a tree with his eyes closed taking deep cleansing breaths. That had gotten a little too personal. When he had confronted the man, Uncle Vernon's face kept flashing through his mind. He didn't so much mind when he was the one treated like filth, but for it to happen to that innocent little girl... It made him angry enough to kill someone. He had been able to restrain himself this time... Luna had been right, he should never have done this, it was affecting him too much. It was enough that the little girl was safe now and that man would think twice before laying his hand on a child again. He thought that in a few minutes, he could return and he would be able to face the girl. He did not know if he could face Luna though. She would probably look at him with disappointed eyes that would break his heart.

"There he is!"

"Surrender! You are under arrest for resisting arrest, multiple counts of murdering law enforcement officers, and one count of attacking a muggle and breaching the international statute of secrecy."

Harry looked at them in surprise. He was stunned at the stupidity shown. He suspected that the aurors he was accused of murdering were the ones who had attempted to break into his trunk. He also suspected that they probably weren't very kind to prisoners who were thought to have killed aurors. He didn't know what exactly had happened, but he sure didn't want to take the heat for it.

"If you do not attack me, I will not attack you," Harry called, "Just let me go about my business in peace and no one needs to get hurt. If you attack me, I cannot guarantee you will survive." He was surrounded. He really wished he knew how to apparate, or even create a portkey.

"Fire!" the leader of the team of aurors yelled.

Stunners rained down on him, easily deflecting off of his armor. The rope conjuring spells were a little more effective against someone who was only trying to avoid spells. Soon, Harry was trussed up and immobile.

"We caught you, now it's time to show you what we do to those who kill our comrades. Crucio!"

The unforgivable curse hurt, a lot. It was not nearly as bad as being thrown off a broom by a dementor though. Harry bit his lip to stop himself from screaming. Eventually the spell let up.

"How did that feel? the auror asked, chuckling.

"I've had worse," Harry answered truthfully.

"Then let's see how you handle twice as much."

Harry did not like where this was going. "How about we don't. If you just walk away, I will not bother coming after you."

The auror laughed. "Did you hear that? He might not come after us if we let him go. Why don't we show him what we think of that?" Two cruciatus curses slammed into Harry. Now, this hurt a lot, but he could grit his teeth through the pain. He closed his mind and focused his mind on a partial animagus transformation.

"You have five seconds to cease fire and leave the area. Anyone left here will not survive long."

"It looks like he hasn't learned his lesson. You cast as well!" A third cruciatus hit Harry and he finally lost control and screamed and opened his eyes. The head auror fell down dead and one cruciatus ceased. Two more aurors fell at almost the same time. Harry rolled and glared at the other two casters. They fell down dead as well, five more were hit accidentally.

"What's happening?"

"I don't know!" Four more aurors fell. Half the aurors that had come were now dead.

"Just kill him!"

"Avada Kedavra!" The attacker's curse struck Harry right between the eyes. Both fell down dead. In front of the Aurors, Harry's corpse disappeared with a crack.

* * *

"Harry! Please wake up! Please don't be dead."

"Master must live," Dobby ordered.

Harry gasped for breath and sat up. He glanced around, bewildered at the fact that he wasn't dead.

"Harry!" Harry was slammed back to the ground by Luna.

"I'm alright, Luna, somehow."

"Why didn't you listen to me?" Luna asked.

"She's too much like me," Harry said, "I had to make sure he wouldn't ever touch her again. It was fine, until the aurors found me. They sent so many of them. Their stunners didn't work so they tied me up with the incarcerous spell. I couldn't figure out how to get out. They started using the cruciatus curse because some of their men died when they tried to break into the trunk last night. I could only use my cockatrice eyes on them and I was to angry at the time to just petrify them. Then, they used the killing curse. It got me and I guess I died. How did I get here?"

"Dobby felt Harry Potter was in trouble, so Dobby made Harry Potter come to him. Dobby needed Harry Potter to live but Harry Potter was already dead. Dobby needed Harry Potter so much that Harry Potter came back for Dobby!"

"That doesn't make any sense," Sirius complained.

"The bonding oath! It make perfect sense. Harry promised to provide Dobby with whatever he needs to live. The thing he needs most is a master. As long as Dobby lives, Harry is not allowed to die and magic will enforce their oath."

"So as long as Dobby is alive I'm immortal?"

"You might end up like Voldemort, a bodiless spirit."

"Do you think this is something that Voldemort might have done? Is that why he's still alive?" Harry asked.

"Would Voldemort pledge his heart mind and strength to give a house elf everything he needed to live?" Luna asked.

"No," Harry shook his head vigorously. "He would never even consider that."

"Now wait just a minute. What is this about the house elf oath. I am pretty sure it goes something like, 'I provide thee a pittance of magic and unto your death you shall serve and obey.'"

"The Blacks used the oath of death on their elves?" Harry gasped.

"It's the only one I ever heard, and mother went through house elves rather quickly," Sirius explained.

"There are a bunch of bonding oaths. I had Luna help make one that would be better. It was really draining though," Harry said.

"Help you?" Luna asked, "I think the wrackspurts are congregating again."

"Well, I told you what I wanted and begged you to make it work... that's helping," Harry said with an embarrassed blush.

"So, if I told you I wanted pork chops for supper, that would be considered help cooking?" Sirius interjected.

"You know what would really help?" Harry asked.

"If a live snorkack wandered into the cave?" Luna suggested.

"Well, not exactly what I was thinking," Harry sighed.

"Well, what would help then, Pup?" Sirius asked.

"I think it would be mighty helpful if someone untied me."


	31. SATURDAY JULY 16, 1994

**SATURDAY JULY 16, 1994**

Harry wandered through the magical shopping district. He was looking for a certain type of people, the kind that were middle-aged, married, middle-class, and wanting children but currently without. Old Red Eyes was simply not equipped to handle the needs of raising a child for the long term.

Harry appeared as a neatly groomed man with shoulder-length Malfoy-blond hair. He was dressed in black and just wandered, talking to everyone who seemed like they would meet the requirements.

He had met many interesting people in many different stores. Today, he wandered into a magical cobbler shop. It seemed like it did well enough, though it was not too busy. Rather than having a rack of pre-made shoes, shoes were custom made for the wearer. Harry's own shoes were actually a little uncomfortable, though their durability could not be questioned.

"How can I help you?" The man behind the counter had full but graying short hair, wire-rim spectacles, and a white buttoned shirt rolled up to his elbows that was stained with shoe polish.

"I see you do custom shoes here," Harry said, "Do you also adjust shoes that don't quite sit right?"

"I can work on it. In the meantime, you can tell me why you've been loitering around the past few days." The cobbler took out a tall and a short stool, indicating that Harry should sit on the tall one."

"I'm actually looking for a certain type of person," Harry said, "Perhaps you can help me find someone that meets my exacting standards."

"I can try." The cobbler sat on the low stool and tugged off Harry's right boot, frowning slightly. "What type of person are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for someone stable, so middle-aged, married, neither too poor to get by nor too rich to be normal."

"So far, you've described me and half the people I know."

"Someone who doesn't have children but has wanted them," Harry explained.

"So you knocked up a girl and now you need to find a place for the kid?"

"No, I found a girl whose father locked her in the basement and beat her. I currently have a large number of people wanting me dead, so, I can't take her with me for her own safety. I can't let her go back to her father. And, the old red eyes that rescued her can't take care of her well enough to keep her for long."

"She's not been eaten yet?" The man asked, surprised.

"Eaten? Of course not!" Harry said, "Why does everyone think that they eat children. They have seer abilities and kidnap children who are about to be killed to save their lives. I suppose no one other than me has bothered to talk to one of them?"

"That wouldn't surprise me." The cobbler slid Harry's boot back on. "How does that feel?"

Harry stood up and rocked around a bit. "That's actually a lot better. I'm never going to run a marathon in it but I can certainly stroll leisurely for a good long time now."

"If you find yourself needing a little extra padding, a cushioning charm on the inside can be just the thing for it." The man pulled off Harry's left boot. "My wife gave up on children a long time ago, but I'll ask if she'd be willing."

"Thank you. You don't have any blood status issues do you?"

"I'm pure if that's what you mean. My wife is a muggle born. My family didn't really take to that kind of thing anyway. My great grandfather was a muggle born as well. He started this shop." He slipped the left boot onto Harry's foot. "Good?"

"Perfect," Harry replied.

"Good. That'll be a galleon and twelve sickles then."

Harry took out two galleons. "Keep the change."

The cobbler walked over to the floo. He tossed in some powder from a cup on the mantle and stuck his head into the flames. "Greta, can you step through the floo, please." He pulled his head out and a moment later, a woman with a round face, pinched nose and a frizzy hair bun stepped through.

"What is it Hans?" she asked.

"Please sit down, dear, this man has something to talk to us about."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Harry said, "I am a traveler. A couple days ago I came across an Old Red Eyes. He told me of a girl he rescued. Her father locked her in a basement room and tried to beat the magic out of her. I went to her home and confronted her family and confirmed the story. It is not the environment a child should grow up in. I have been helping to look for a family who might be interested in taking her in. Your husband tells me you used to want to have children."

"Oh, my," the woman sniffed, rubbing a tear from her eye, "That is horrible. Of course we'll take her!"

"Okay, would you like me to send for her?"

"Yes, I'd love to meet her," Greta gushed nervously, "Do you think she'll like us?"

"As someone who has experience, I can tell you, she will love anyone who shows her love. Expecto Patronum. Luna, bring the two dogs and Anna to the cobbler. I think I found the ones."

"Excuse me, but what type of creature was it that you conjured?" Hans asked.

"It is a crumple horned snorkack, Luna's favorite animal," Harry answered.


	32. TUESDAY JULY 19, 1994

**TUESDAY JULY 19, 1994**

Harry stood in front of a travel agent as a rotund man with a curly blond mustache and a balding head.

"Excuse me, sir, I need to travel to Rome on immediate business," Harry said pompously.

"How long will you be staying?" the travel agent asked.

"I plan to be there at least two days, though if negotiations do not go well, there is a good chance that I will be there for two to three weeks, so I will purchase my return portkey over there once my business is concluded."

"Do you have travel permits?" The travel agent seemed bored as he followed his script.

"Not yet. The ministry sent me a letter saying that I was approved, but my papers would not come for four to six weeks. This deal is time sensitive. If I don't leave today, he may find another supplier."

"Very well. You will need to fill out forms for a temporary travel permit though," the travel agent explained.

"Of course, procedure must be followed," Harry chuckled patronizingly, "Do you have the paperwork?"

"Here, fill out this form." The travel agent handed harry a parchment with various fields to fill out.

Harry stared at the form. He finally felt ready to leave Amsterdam now that he was sure that Hans and Greta would look after Anna. They had even adopted Old Red Eyes as the family pet which made Harry feel much better about leaving the abused girl.

"Hmm. Name: Onbekend van der Anoniem," Harry smirked to himself. It translated to the nameless one from anonymity. "Reason for travel? business negotiations. Term of stay? Two to twenty-one days." He took Sirius' wand from his pocket and pressed it to the identification block."

"Thank you, here's your portkey." The travel agent holding out an empty gum wrapper. "It will take you to the registration desk at the Roman Ministry. Just say 'Where all roads lead' to activate it."

"Thank you," Harry said, paying his bill and accepting his portkey, "I will go home to get my luggage, and then I'll be on my way."

Harry left the building and went to a secluded corner of an alley and took out his invisibility cloak. He reverted himself to to usual look, but with a more Mediterranean skin tone then said, "All roads lead to," then as the jerking feeling of the portkey grabbed him, he finished the famous saying, "Rome."

Harry looked around from under his invisibility cloak. Another person appeared nearby and walked over to a line of people who were processed then sent through a checkpoint. Harry followed the next person through. From there, he exited through the main doors of the Roman Ministry building into the Piazza di Magia. The place was a sea of marble and columns. It was very much like being in ancient Rome. He found a quiet corner and released Luna and Sirius from his trunk.

"Welcome to Rome," Harry said.

"Thank you," Luna said, "It's very nice."

"We should go visit the nymphs!" Sirius suggested.

"Don't be such a dog, Sirius," Harry chastised, "There is more to do than snogging whatever vaguely humanoid creature will take you."

"That's easy for you to say, you have your girlfriend with you," Sirius pouted.

"Fine, if we find time, you can go visit. For now, let's just enjoy the shopping and find someone to learn Italian from," Harry suggested.

* * *

Harry was glad that he carried his room with him. Luna was quite the shopper. Fortunately, she was a fast shopper. She always seemed to know where to find what she wanted.

"Hey, look at this!" Luna exclaimed. She was standing by a wall where notices had been posted.

"On the twenty-third of July," Harry read, "A tournament shall be held to showcase competitors' talents with sword, wand and body. The prize will be a rare magical artifact of great power. All participants must register at the Colosseum by noon on the twenty second."

"You should enter," Luna said, "You would win for sure."

"Luna, I don't really think I am good enough to win something like this. I'm not even a fully trained wizard."

"Don't you trust me?" Luna asked, giving Harry puppy dog eyes and pouting. Just as he was about to crack she said, "We even bought you some sandals and a toga."

Harry groaned. He knew that if Luna had gone that far, this was probably going to be a big deal.

* * *

"No, you need broader shoulders. And, more muscles. More on the thighs and less at the waist," Luna instructed, "Make you chin more square. Darken your eyes too. Now add a really big scar from your chest to your hip, like you've been mauled by a bear. Perfect!"

Harry now looked to be the perfect vision of a Roman gladiator. It had been decided that he would spend the week before the tournament training in the body he would be competing in so that he wouldn't become clumsy and to increase his skills. They had set up a schedule that would give him the best chances he could get.

The first thing in the morning would be sprints and strength exercises with yoga-like stretching to cool down before breakfast. After breakfast, he would work on wandless magic abilities with Luna followed by sword drills with Sirius, even though Sirius was no challenge when compared to battling a vampire. After lunch, there would be two hours to work on wanded magic followed by a break until dinner. After dinner, Harry was to work on personal study, whether it be learning more anatomy for his metamorph abilities, learning more spells, or even attempting to use wandless magic to enhance his physical abilities. But, that would wait until tomorrow. Tonight, Harry and Luna were going to go to an authentic Italian restaurant on a date, which Luna assured him would go perfectly without interruption.


	33. FRIDAY JULY 22, 1994

**FRIDAY JULY 22, 1994**

It was the evening of the first round of the tournament. Apparently, it was a popular event because Harry could see people of all nationalities dressed in various manners waiting to compete. The entry requirements had been almost nonexistent; A person merely needed to provide a name and date of birth, both of which Harry had lied about. For now, he was the roman gladiator Gluteus Maximus, named after what Luna called one of his best features, though he asked to be only referred to by his last name. He wore his traditional toga and roman sandals as well as a circlet of golden olive leaves on his head.

Five at a time, competitors were called to the arena door where the guards allowed them in. Details of the challenges were not given until the competitors entered the arena. It was rather nerve wracking.

"Maximus!" Harry heard his alias being called and headed to the door.

Harry and four others were let into the arena's staging area. A man waited there to explain the rules of the first stage.

"The first stage is a winnowing round. Only one in five will pass on to compete in tomorrows challenge. It is a test of courage, strength, endurance, and willpower. There will be no wands or other magical tools allowed." He held out an odd stick. "This is an enchantment detector." He pointed to five boxes. "Choose a storage area and remove all enchanted items. You cannot proceed until you have no magical items on you."

Harry placed his wand in one of the boxes. A man of African descent removed ankle and wrist bracelets, a gold necklace, fang earrings, as well as a leopard fur head band and his robe, leaving him wearing nothing but a loincloth. He had several runic tattoos that could not be removed, but the guide allowed him to compete with them for now since there was no obvious way to immediately disable them and no way to tell what they did. The other three had only a wand and a few personal items. Based purely on physique, Harry suspected that the African was his primary competition. The others had the standard wizard build which was definitely not made for strength nor endurance.

The gates to the arena opened, revealing that the entire area had been set up as an obstacle course. "The first one of you to make it through the obstacle course will move on to the next round. Contact is allowed, but fighting is not."

An announcer called out the names of the competitors, then began a countdown, "Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Begin!"

Harry jogged to the first obstacle, the African man taking the lead. It was an unstable walkway over a pit of spikes. The spikes would not kill anyone unless they happen to hit an artery or the skull, but it certainly would not be pleasant to fall. Based on the man ahead of him, Harry could see that all the boards were affixed to a central fulcrum, so he made sure to land his feet in the middle of the boards for a solid walking surface. The man ahead did not seem to care, having an uncanny sense of balance and cat-like agility. Then the path began to tilt back and forth as the top of the fulcrum changed angles and the African pulled ahead. Harry applied a wandless levitation to the board the African was about to step on, causing him to lose his balance and stop for a moment, allowing Harry to close some of the distance. The African looked around, but failed to see a cause for his failure and continued at a more sedate pace.

The next obstacle they came across was a series of walls. Each had fewer and less substantial handholds than the last. The African scaled the first couple before Harry reached the obstacle. Harry used a wandless levitation charm on himself and didn't bother with the hand holds, just pulling himself up by digging his fingernails into the wood. Reaching the top of the first wall, he leapt to the second, and third. He passed the African, waving a hand to put a reversed levitation charm on him, knocking him off the wall. Harry received a nasty glare as the African began climbing again.

Harry passed the walls and moved on to various shapes of bars that he had to traverse. Some he had to swing across and others he had to climb up or slide along. Thanks to his mastery of the wandless locomotion charms, he easily passed through this section of the course.

The next section was beams, moving boards, and platform jumps with spiked bludgers flying between them. The African caught up and passed him, making sure to give Harry a none too gentle shove as he passed by, almost throwing Harry off course to the next platform in mid jump.

The final set of obstacles was through water, mud and confined spaces. Harry made his hands and feet webbed, giving himself a much stronger swimming ability, but the African was still remaining resolutely ahead of him.

The African was a good twenty paces ahead of Harry when exiting the water and moments away from victory. In desperation, Harry grabbed the African with his magic and tossed him back into the final pool. Harry was too tired to continue running and finished at a slow jog, passing the finish moments before the African caught up with him again."

"He cheated!" the African accused.

"How did I cheat? I never stopped to fight and I never used any enchanted objects or spell focuses."

"Yet you still used magic!"

"As did you, but unlike you, I used my natural abilities and wandless magic. You used those tattoos to give you an advantage."

"But I cannot choose to not use my tattoos, and they are permanent."

Harry chuckled, forming a plan, "But doesn't that just prove how weak you are. I can think of three ways to remove or disable them without harming you in any way. You are just not enough of a man to win on your own."

Harry saw the punch coming and let it hit him, knocking him to the ground. "Well, I believe that makes you the loser. There was a no fighting rule as well." The African moved to attack him again but was stunned by a member of the security team.

"Despite the use of questionably legal abilities, Maximus is the winner!" the announcer shouted.

The guide told Harry that he should get his things and find a place to sit in the Colosseum to watch the remaining contestants.

"You'll pay for this," the African warned, "I don't know how, but one day I'll get my revenge, Maximus."

* * *

"Harry, weren't you bending the rules a bit with those stunts?" Sirius asked?

"I only evened the playing field."

"It would have hurt less if you had just used your own physical abilities," Luna chided.

"The first place winner in the group before you got disqualified as well. You were lucky that only the two of you made it through the course or they would have disqualified both of you," Sirius said.

"Not likely, after all, Luna predicted I'd win," Harry reminded him.

"If you're so sure about that, then why cheat?" Sirius asked.


	34. SATURDAY JULY 23, 1994

**SATURDAY JULY 23, 1994**

Harry stood at his entrance holding the Sword of Gryffindor. While the first day had been a trial of the body, today was a trial of the blade. No wands were allowed, but enchanted swords were perfectly acceptable. The second round of the tournament was a monster slaying battle. Of those who survived, the best would be judged and move on to the third round which would happen that afternoon.

The door opened and he was let into a section of the arena that had been sectioned off. There were eight fighters competing at a time. This meant that there was little room to maneuver once his opponent appeared.

A hole in the ground opened up and an almost-human face appeared, surrounded by a thick mane. As it climbed out, Harry saw that it had the body of a lion and the tail of a scorpion. The announcer mentioned something about manticores. Harry had no idea what a manticore was, but he was pretty sure he did not want to come into contact with the business ends of its paws and tail.

"So, you're my prey," the manticore said, "Will you put up a fight, or just lay down and let me eat you?" It licked its lips. While intelligent, this creature definitely did not fall under Harry's ideals of protecting the innocent.

"I don't particularly want to kill you," Harry said, "If you surrender, I will consider letting you live."

The manticore chuckled. "You are in no position to be making demands, and the only position you're fit for is lunch."

Harry gathered magic along the blade of his sword and swung it at the manticore, sending a blade of magic at it. It struck the manticore's flank and left a shallow gash.

"This might be harder than I thought," Harry muttered nervously.

The manticore roared with rage, then began to run towards Harry. It wasn't even slowed down by Harry's first attack. Harry rolled to the side, striking out to nick the manticore's foreleg with the tip of his blade. It barely drew blood, but it slowed the manticore a lot more than his first attack did. The manticore's stinger flashed out, aiming for Harry's face. Harrys sword blocked the attack inches from his face. The manticore stumbled, lifting its foreleg from the ground. Harry rolled away from the beast which was now unsteady on its feet. Its tail began to droop before it fell completely to the floor.

"What venom does your blade bear?" the manticore rasped, rolling limply onto its side.

"I didn't know it was poisoned at all. I never added any poison to it," Harry admitted, confused by what was happening. Then he recognized the symptoms. "The blade must have absorbed the poison when I killed the basilisk."

"One of the few beasts with venom mightier than my own. When I die, take my venom as well, that I may continue to kill even in death." The manticore closed its eyes and stopped breathing.

Honoring its last wish, Harry walked up to the body and laid a hand on its flank. After a moment of silence, he stabbed the blade into the bulb of the manticore's stinger.

* * *

Harry stood at the entrance of the arena. First blood was the rule of this fight. Last one to bleed would move on to the last event, a single elimination dueling tournament. The door opened. Harry was in the worst position. The sun was beating down on him directly, blinding him. He raised his sword, inadvertently deflecting another sword that had been thrown at him.

Harry began traveling around the edge of the arena. He could see at least three wizards down. One wizard swing his blade and a duplicate flew from it only to be deflected by the man he had targeted. Harry created a needle of force at the tip of his sword and thrust it at the man, knowing the ability would be dangerous if the man got into his blind spot. Harry's aim was off a little bit. He had aimed for the man's stomach, but it cut his side. It was enough to eliminate the man.

There were now three opponents left. One held a rapier that didn't seem to have any special abilities. Another was holding a large jagged stone blade. The third was throwing his falcata sword. The falcata had a gold jewel-encrusted handle and the man seemed to be able to control its direction, though it remained within fifteen feet of the one using it.

The stone blade user clashed with the user of the thrown sword. The stone blade crushed the smaller weapon before slamming into the weapon's owner. The man was knocked out and bleeding from what used to be his nose.

The user of the rapier dashed towards the stone blade user. There was a quick flurry of blows where the man with the smaller blade would angle his weapon to deflect the much larger blade of his opponent without harming his own blade. It showed the man had lots of skill. The man with the stone blade raised it above his head, preparing to bring it down in a crushing blow. The rapier flashed, drawing a thin trickle of blood before retreating.

The rapier wielder turned and calmly walked towards Harry, his only remaining opponent. They stood facing each other at the ready.

"Are you willing to risk your life in this duel?" Harry asked, "If I draw blood with this sword, you will die because of the basilisk and manticore venom."

"Then, I will just not let you draw blood." The man seemed to be excited by the prospect of a fight with his life on the line.

The man lunged, looking to end the duel quickly. Harry batted the strike aside. The rapier whipped around fast and came again. This man was definitely better than Sirius, but he had been taught how to duel, not how to fight. Harry blocked the strike and kicked the man in the knee, making him stumble. Harry quickly gathered up a blade of magic and unleashed it at the man, but it was dodged when the man rolled to his feet.

"You're quite good," Harry said, "and fast."

"Thank you. Though your movements are crude and unrefined, they are quite effective." The man began circling, his eyes widening a moment when they saw a gash in the ground where he had just been, traveling half way to the arena wall. "I will have to finish this quickly. You are quite dangerous."

"Yes, I was taught to fight, not how to dance..." Harry focused his magic on the end of the blade, making and invisible extension. He lunged. His real blade was deflected, but his magical one made a deep cut into the man's side. "And how to win. You are fortunate you did not touch the physical blade. You will live."

The man bowed his head. "I will have to look into getting a magical sword. Their abilities can be quite impressive."

"Only as impressive as the man who wields it. You are a master swordsman by wizard standards aren't you?"

"I am. I was taught by the best tutors money could buy."

"Seek a vampire tutor. They are stronger, faster, and more experienced than any human could hope to be. I never managed to land a single strike on my teacher."

The man looked rather insulted by the suggestion, then said reluctantly, "I will consider it carefully."

Harry nodded and said, "Good fight. If I am able to attend next year, I hope to cross swords with you again."

"When that happens, I will not be the one to lose."

"I will try and find another blade by then, one with which I do not need to hold back so much with so we can have a true fight." Harry headed to the stands where he was congratulated by Luna for winning without killing.


	35. SUNDAY JULY 24, 1994

**SUNDAY JULY 24, 1994**

When Harry showed up at the Colosseum, he surprised the other contestants. The final day was a single elimination tournament. There were no rules other than no illegal curses. Harry had shown up in his full dark lord regalia, including his sword at his hip.

"You're the Dark Lord Sanies Sibilus!" One of the contestants yelled in fear.

"No, in this country I am known as Gladiator Maximus," Harry said patronizingly. This seemed to draw even more fear from the local contestants. Harry wondered why.

There were only eight competitors left, so that meant Harry would need to fight and win against four of these men, or so he thought. This time, they had reserved seating, so everyone would be able to view all the fights and prepare appropriate strategies.

Harry was fighting first against the man who had identified him. They stood across from each other. Harry drew his wand and the announcer called the beginning of the match.

Harry's opponent raised his wand and then shouted, "I forfeit!"

The crowd was stunned into silence. Harry wondered if his reputation was already that great as a dark lord that people wouldn't want to fight him. He calmly walked up to the stands and sat back down. It was just fine with him, he would be less tired for the rest of his matches.

Harry fought his second match quickly. He had opened with an expelliarmus to disarm his opponent. The man raised a shield, but it shattered under the power of Harry's spell and the man lost not only his wand, but his fingers as well.

His third opponent forfeited.

"The final match will be six-time champion Marcus Aquila against Gluteus Maximus!" The announcer called.

Harry looked across the arena at his opponent. The man was obviously a professional duelist, based on the speed and complexity of his spell chains he had shown in earlier matches. Harry had never seen anyone fight like this man before. This would be a difficult match, though he had the advantage of Marcus not knowing how he fought.

"BEGIN!"

Harry didn't have time to blink before spells were flying at him. "Protego!" His shield shattered and half a dozen spells struck his armor. His opponent looked surprised to see him still standing. Harry drew his sword and banished it towards Marcus. The man stepped aside and fired more spells. Harry had learned his lesson though. Instead of shielding, he wandlessly banished himself out of the way and fired a disarming spell. Marcus dodged and shielded. The shield was at an oblique angle to the disarming spell and the spell deflected into the wall of the arena.

Giving Marcus time to think and deflect his spells was obviously a bad idea. "Lumos Maxima!" Harry closed his eyes and dashed towards Marcus, his wand flaring like the sun. He could hear spells being blind fired, but those that struck home could not penetrate Harry's armor.

Harry tripped. At first he thought it was a tripping jinx, then he saw the ground around Marcus had become uneven. The man must have realized that his spells could not penetrate Harry's armor.

A shadow fell across Harry and he rolled out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed. Conjured knives flew towards him. Harry wandlessly banished them back at Marcus who used a shield to deflect them as Harry returned to his feet.

Marcus was fighting smart now, so Harry knew he had to end it quickly. He circled around Marcus, firing a stream of stinging hexes, forcing the man to shield when he saw they had the power to chip stone. Harry raised his hand and wandlessly summoned the pommel of his sword, his stream of hexes pausing only for a moment. Marcus knew something had happened and dove aside.

Harry caught his sword and threw it again, forcing Marcus to raise a solid shield again. Meanwhile, Harry wandlessly increased the number of electrons in the air surrounding Marcus. The man's hair stood on end and he knew something was wrong even if he did not know what Harry had done. Small sparks jumped out of the air all around Marcus, using him as a conduit to the ground. Marcus jerked around, losing control of his body as the rapid series of electrical discharges shocked him. Marcus dropped his wand and Harry summoned it.

The shocks stopped. Marcus trembled, his nerved rattled by the onslaught he had just received. "I have your wand," Harry said, "Do you forfeit?"

"I forfeit," Marcus agreed. "What was that spell you used?"

"No spell. Wandless magic does not use spells. I merely increased the charge of the atoms in the air surrounding you. The electricity needed to escape and through you was the easiest route."

Marcus was completely befuddled by the explanation.

"I used the concepts of muggle science to create a weak lightning magic," Harry tried.

"I see. It is very effective and there was nothing to block. How would you defend against an attack like that?"

"You could move out of the way. It only affects a specific area. Or, you could conjure a metal object that touches the ground to draw in the lightning," Harry suggested.

"Congratulations on your victory."

"You were a strong opponent," Harry replied, "Your casting speed would have overwhelmed me if I was not so resistant to magical attacks." The two shook hands and Harry returned the man's wand.

"And the winner is Maximus!" the announcer shouted.

"Maximus! Maximus!" the crowd chanted and clapped.

Harry sheathed his sword and wand and bowed.

"Now, the owner of the Colosseum, Gladius Marius, will present Maximus with his prize, a powerful magical artifact."

A squat man, dressed much like Harry had on the previous days, came out levitating a large wooden crate. He approached and set the crate down in front of Harry.

"Congratulations on your victory Gladiator Maximus."

"I have never lost a match in this Colosseum before, and I did not intend to start now," Harry joked.

"Well... then..." The man wiped some sweat from his brow. "Why don't you open your prize and show everyone what you have won."

Harry obliged and flipped open the lid of the crate revealing a round shield laying in a bed of straw. It was circular, four feet in diameter. In the central two foot radius was a smooth silvery area that reflected like a polished mirror. The rest was gold with lifelike snake carvings.

"This," Marius said, "Is the Aegis. It is an unbreakable shield said to be used by Zeus himself.

Harry lifted the shield, barely able to hold the massive thing. He marveled at the lifelike carvings of the snakes, and on a whim based on his experience with Slytherin, Harry asked, §Do you speak?§

The snakes responded, §We do, speaker.§

§I am told you are unbreakable. Is this true?§ Harry asked.

§We have not been broken or damaged since we were forged by Hephaestus for Zeus.§

§Do you have any other abilities?§

§Within our mirror is preserved the face of Medusa, the gorgon. If you ask, we can turn the mirror to glass for a time and all who look upon it shall be turned to stone.§

§I hope that the time never comes when I shall need you, but if I do, I hope you will serve me as well as your former master.§ Harry turned to Marius who was looking quite spooked. "I believe that Aegis is happy to be returning to service. I just hope I will not be forced to reveal the gorgon's face within." Harry strapped the shield to his arm and walked off to find Luna and Sirius.

* * *

Harry hung Aegis on the wall of the training room.

"I don't know, pup, don't you think this is a little redundant? You can already petrify people by looking at them," Sirius inquired.

Harry turned to Luna. "He does have a point, you know," Harry said, "Why did I have to win this thing?"

"Because, it matches your theme," Luna answered, "How would you look if there was another snake themed dark lord, for instance Voldemort, who was able to go around petrifying people?"

"Like I need to get off my lazy bum and vanquish him already?" Harry asked.

"Well that too..." Luna said.

"It just doesn't seem to be all that useful to me," Harry said, "I already have nigh impenetrable armor, and if anything actually gets through, I am pretty much immortal thanks to Dobby. I really can't think of when I could ever use something like this."

"Well, if you have someone else you need to protect, you can lend Aegis to them," Sirius suggested.

"Besides, you have no idea how much that tournament will improve your reputation," Luna explained.

* * *

"This can't be possible," a face in the floo said in Greek.

"Believe it. I saw it with my own eyes. He conjured lightning with his bare hands, and Aegis recognized him."

"Are you saying he is Zeus himself?"

"Not just Zeus. He told the competitors that in Rome he was known as Maximus, the gladiator Maximus. He said he'd never lost in the Colloseum."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

"I looked it up. Maximus was an undefeated gladiator seventeen-hundred years ago. He defeated anything the Romans could put against him. Eventually, he forced the emperor into a duel of honor. Before the match, he was poisoned with the deadliest of venom. He was still victorious, killing the emperor. They said that he was unbeatable. His death was never recorded, he just disappeared after that."

"This is just too unbelievable. How can a man live for over seventeen-hundred years?"

"No, at least twenty-six hundred years ago if our suspicions about him being Zeus are correct. And, it is not so unbelievable if you consider Nicholas Flamel. Besides, you heard the reports from the Netherlands, they killed him with a killing curse. He could very well have found the key to immortality."

"Very well. Write up your findings and forward it to the special ICW task force and pray that you are wrong."


	36. MONDAY JULY 25, 1994

**MONDAY JULY 25, 1994**

Albus was irritated. He had noticed that his wards around the Dursley residence were weakening instead of strengthening. He had intended to go inspect them today and see if the wards had been damaged or the Dursleys had finally done what he had intended and beaten the boy to death. Instead, he was called to an emergency session of the ICW to discuss some uppity dark lord that was causing a stir across Europe.

* * *

After a week of training and competing, it was time to relax. Today, Harry and Luna were touring Rome as muggles would. Luna led Harry to Via dei Condotti, spending the entire morning dressing him up in designer fashions. Harry would have preferred another fight to the death. He came out of the experience with a much-too-expensive Armani suit, a gold watch which had a snake on the face, a green tie, a snake-embroidered leather wallet, and a pair of mirrored sunglasses so delicate looking that Harry feared that a stray gust of wind would break them. All of this, Harry discretely put into his trunk inside convenient publicly accessible washrooms.

Luna seemed to enjoy the experience immensely. Harry suspected that as abnormal as Luna was, her desire to dress up her boyfriend was as normal as any other girl's or possibly even more excessive. Then she tripped.

Harry managed to catch her, but it was only the first of many incidents. When they purchased lunch, some creature leapt onto their table and stole hers. Her shoelaces became tied together when they weren't paying attention.

"It's almost like being back in the Ravenclaw dormitory," Luna idly commented, which absolutely ruined Harry's mood.

Eventually, Harry lead Luna into a alley and hid behind a dumpster. Harry motioned for Luna to be quiet until they heard the sound of paws heading their way. Harry drew his wand and leapt out, firing a stunning spell at the annoying rodent that had been following them. Harry picked the creature up. It was like a tailless squirrel at first glance, but it had a flatter, almost human, face.

"What is this thing?" Harry asked. He thought it frankly looked rather revolting.

"That," Luna said definitively, "Is a squasc."

Harry looked back and forth from the rodent to Luna. "This isn't one of those creatures that no one else believes in are they?"

"No, they're just a nuisance. There were a bunch of fliers in Piazza di Magia warning people not to feed these things."

"Are they intelligent?"

"I don't think..." Luna stopped and cringed as Harry snapped the creature's neck and dropped it in the dumpster. "You didn't need to do that."

"Luna, it's been attacking you all day. Some of its stunts have not just been annoying, but also dangerous. Considering it is a mindless rodent, this is the best way to handle it."

"I would have suggested feeding it to Vindex," Luna said, "It's such a waste to just kill something like that."

"Why didn't I think of that?" Harry sighed, fishing the still relatively clean creature from the dumpster, spraying down with a quick water spell, then tossing it into his trunk. §Annoying rodent. Enjoy your treat.§ Harry called down before shutting his trunk again.


	37. TUESDAY JULY 26, 1994

**TUESDAY JULY 26, 1994**

A young man walked briskly out of the Vatican library, carrying a stack of books for the bishop he attended. He walked by a shadowed archway, only to be grabbed and pulled into the darkness. There, he came face to face with three intimidating armored figures: a blonde girl with a silver staff, and two men with swords, one of which had a two-headed serpent coiled around his body.

"Where do the hunters stay?" the younger serpentine-themed man asked.

The young man pointed towards the entrance to the subterranean levels.

"Thank you." The three walked in the indicated direction while the young man ran towards the nearest post of the Swiss Guard. Looking back, he could see no sign of the three.

* * *

Harry, Luna and Sirius were traveling under a muggle-specific version of the notice-me-not charm. It caused muggles to fail to notice their existence unless they made physical contact, but would naturally detour around them if possible.

They followed the rather generic direction of the young aide, entering a bunker-like structure. A severe elder woman sat at a security desk behind a thick plate of bulletproof glass, obviously the only controller of the large steel door with no external controls.

"Finite." Harry canceled the notice-me-not charm on himself and approached the woman.

"Identification, please." A slot opened up.

"I do not work here. I would like to have a meeting with the head of the Vatican's hunters in regards to certain policies."

"Do you have an appointment?" the woman asked.

"No," Harry answered.

"No meetings without an appointment," the woman stated, "Please leave the area or I will be forced to call security."

"How do I make an appointment?" Harry asked.

"If you had the authority to meet, you would already have access to the correct channels."

"Confundo!" Sirius cast, making the woman shudder. "The head of the hunters is expecting unscheduled visitors."

"Oh, sorry. I see here that he is expecting unscheduled visitors. Please proceed to the bottom level." The massive steel door slid open.

Harry and his compatriots entered the door and immediately pressed the button to descend for the elevator. They boarded and Harry pressed the button for the seventy-seventh subterranean level. His stomach suddenly leapt to his throat, Sirius grabbed onto a waist-high railing, and Luna squealed in delight.

A minute later, the elevator chimed and the door opened to a large room filled with men pointing cross bows at them.

"Well, I certainly feel welcome," Harry joked.

"Yes, it is a pleasure to see you again monster-lover. It is so nice of you to come here to let me finish what I started." Adrian van Helsing greeted.

"Well, the Romanian authorities are more efficient than I thought. You are back early. I was hoping to speak with your boss to issue a complaint about your conduct. After all, your actions led to the deaths of hundreds of humans."

"And because of you, most of my men are still detained by the Romanian government." Adrian growled.

"Me? Was I really the one responsible for leading your men to war against a sovereign nation?" Harry asked, "That is quite an accusation considering I'd never met you before."

"Enough!" A gravelly voice interrupted the bickering. The men parted to reveal a scarred elderly man with a cane. "You came to speak with me, right? Follow me to my office. The rest of you back to work."

The group dispersed, Adrian sending Harry a dirty look on the way. Harry followed the man's slow, limping gait all the way across the large chamber. At the back was a door with a gold plaque that read 'Director for the Department of Disposal of Dangerous Creatures, Ludger van Helsing'.

While the outside of the office was rough stonework, the inside was completely different. The walls were paneled with polished wood. The floor was tiled with marble. The furniture was carved hardwood stained dark with plush red seating. Ludger took his seat behind the desk, and gestured for Harry to sit across from him.

They looked across the desk at each other silently for a minute, sizing each other up. Then, Ludger broke the silence, "You are the one who confronted my aunt and uncle in Holland as well as interfering with Adrian's operation?"

"Yes," Harry answered, actually slightly intimidated by this man.

"And you are aware that the creature you wear about you is a class two deadly creature. By the laws of this organization I should kill you just for having such a creature."

"And, that is precisely the attitude that I came to complain about. Vindex here is perfectly harmless as long as you don't attack him, or me. Your groups desire to kill anything different from you puts us at odds. You see, I represent equal rights for all intelligent creatures and sufficient government oversight, both of which I fear your organization lacks."

"And you believe you know better then two-thousand years of history?"

"I will admit, there there are certain cases where your kind would be beneficial, but this unrestrained killing must be stopped. Simply put, this is an ultimatum. If your group does not start restricting itself to killing only those creatures that personally commit evil acts, I will not be as kind as I was with Adrian. Next time I find your organization causing the deaths of innocents, I will retaliate with deadly force and then return here and make sure that it never happens again." Harry threatened.

"You've failed to consider one thing. You will not be leaving this place alive. Did you think we were not aware of your kind?" Ludger chuckled, "After all, we are a Christian organization, and the Bible is quite clear. You shall not suffer a witch to live. This place is built in such a way that it renders your wands useless."

"And you have failed to consider another possibility. What if we don't need wands?" Harry asked, flicking his hand to push Ludger's desk so that it pinned him against the wall. Ludger looked shocked at the casual display of power. "I assume you captured a witch or wizard and they told you all about how they needed a wand to use their powers and you experimented until you found a way to disrupt wands before killing him."

"You may kill me, but you can not kill us all!"

"Can't?" Harry asked, "You don't understand. Killing is easy. I could have killed everyone in this city with little effort, but I choose to give people a chance. You've had yours." Ludger's eyes widened for a fraction of a second as Harry's eyes flashed. Then, Ludger was still, never to move again.

"I need physical shields," Harry said.

"Are you sure about this, pup," Sirius asked, "This is not something you can come back from."

"They kill innocent people and are proud of it. They are no more than the muggle version of Death Eaters. The world needs to learn that this kind of behavior can not and will not be tolerated. They need to straighten up their acts or they will suffer the same way they make others suffer," Harry argued.

Sirius recast Harry's notice-me-not charm the moment they stepped out of the office door. The three walked to the elevators, none of the fighters noticing them. The hunters turned as the doors to the elevator opened.

"Sirius, do you know any spells that could kill everyone on this floor?" Harry asked.

"...Fiendfyre," Sirius suggested sadly, "But, I don't know how to cast it."

"I'll have to improvise then." Harry drew his sword, using it as a focus. He slashed high, then low. Then the pillars of stone supporting the roof tumbled. With another wave of his sword, he converted all the water vapor in the room into hydrogen and oxygen. Then, he closed the door as the explosions began. "Dobby!" The elf appeared at his call, "Take us back to our hotel room."

* * *

"Luna, are you awake?" Harry asked.

"Mmmh," Luna answered, blinking open her eyes in the dark.

"Am I some sort of monster? I killed all those people so easily. It just keeps getting easier."

"Does it matter?" Luna asked.

"Would you hate me if I became a monster?" Harry responded.

"I think... I would be disappointed. I feel like you don't have it in you to be a monster. Just remember to always do what is right. Sometimes, the right thing is the most monstrous of all, but it doesn't make you a monster."

"Did I do the right thing today?"

"All seven-hundred-seventy-seven floors of the building collapsed. You killed over ten thousand people. You caused hundreds of millions of dollars in structural damage. You damaged a historical location, possibly beyond repair." Luna placed her hand over his heart. "Could you have lived with yourself if you hadn't?"

"I could. Screw the world. We could just run off and live as hermits together and I'd be happy."

"Liar," Luna accused. Harry's arms pulled her tightly to his chest.

"I'd be happy enough," Harry amended.

"And you'd always hate yourself for being unable to change anything, unable to help. You, Harry Potter, have a saving people thing, and even if you need to raze the world in the process, you will save all the people who need you."


	38. SATURDAY JULY 30, 1994

**SATURDAY JULY 30, 1994**

Staying in Rome had seemed like a bad idea after what had occurred at the Vatican, but Harry had not had any idea where he wanted to go next. After talking to a few tourists in the city, they had learned of a company that did bus tours around Sicily. It seemed like something nice and relaxing to do after all the excitement.

They had seen white sand beaches and gone swimming in the Mediterranean. There were quaint little villages with specialty boutiques. They had stopped at several vineyards for wine tastings.

This evening, they had stopped in the town of Sortino. The tour would be remaining here for the night and the next day to view the town, its abundance of Catholic churches, and the Necropolis of Pantalica. For now, they were seated at a table in a nice family restaurant and pub that Luna had recommended. The food was deliciously Italian. Harry could tell his ravioli was hand made. They were large, stuffed with cheese and beef, and coated in a delectable tomato sauce full of fresh oregano. Sirius and Luna had both expressed satisfaction at the quality of their own meals.

The door to the restaurant opened suddenly to reveal a group of men in fancy pinstriped suits. Silence filled the entire restaurant and the staff all lined up to greet the newcomers with the greatest of respect.

"Welcome, Boss Zabini. It's a pleasure to have you here again. How is Vinny doing?" The chef called out as he exited the kitchen and came to give the lead man a friendly hug and handshake.

"I could never stay away from your cooking," the man replied, "Vinny is doing much better. He's going to look dangerous with his new scar though, even if he is a big softy. How are the suppliers I arranged for you working out? Not stiffing you are they?"

"No, sir. Only the best, especially since they know you enjoy the food so much. Why don't you sit in your usual booth? I'll whip you up a plate of your favorite on the house, and I think one of our best vintages is just about mature enough to complement it perfectly." The chef led the man towards a booth in the back, the other men taking tables around the restaurant.

"Sergio, you are much too kind to me, my friend."

"Nonsense," the chef replied, "After everything you've done for me, how could I do any less."

"That man has a wand and a gun," Harry murmured just loud enough for Luna to hear, "I've never seen a holster like that before."

"The mafia families aren't too picky about their weapons," Luna agreed.

Harry glanced at the man in the corner booth. He was middle aged with olive skin and slicked-back black hair that had white creeping in at the temples. He wore a blue suit with a red tie. He somehow managed to look both relaxed and alert at the same time.

"Do you think he's related to Blaise from Slytherin?" Harry wondered.

"Anything is possible," Luna allowed, "You won't know unless you ask."

Harry stood up suddenly, preparing to sate his curiosity. Every eye in the building turned to him. It was rather unnerving. He approached the corner table where Boss Zabini was watching him through calculating half-closed eyes. He suddenly felt naked without his armor, knowing that there were a dozen men just waiting to put a bullet in him.

"Excuse me," Harry said.

"What can I do for you young man?" Boss Zabini asked.

"I was wondering if perhaps you were related to Blaise Zabini," Harry asked.

The man's eyes widened fractionally. "I am, indeed. Unfortunately my brother had the misfortune of marrying the boy's mother. I told him to meet a nice Sicilian girl, but he went for the rich beauty with six wealthy, and now dead, ex husbands. Why don't you join me, what was your name?"

"I'm known by many names, but most commonly I am now called the Dark Lord Sanies Sibilus." Harry sat down.

"Ah, yes, the gladiator. You have become quite infamous recently. I wish I could have been there to see your performance. Frankly, many of the rumors are rather unbelievable."

"That's the problem with magic," Harry said, "Nothing is unbelievable. Not that the muggles don't have their own ways of making the impossible happen. It's best not to underestimate anyone."

"That's good advice," the mafia leader nodded, "Did you want anything to eat?" A plate with a large slice of lasagna and steamed vegetables all dripping with a cheesy sauce was placed in front of Boss Zabini.

"Well, I already ate some delicious ravioli, but I wouldn't say no to dessert," Harry said.

"Sergio! Bring some of your famous gelato for my friend here!" Zabini called out, "You will love this. His mother's secret recipe, I've found none better."

"I look forward to it," Harry said.

"Now, tell me, what do you know of young Blaise. I have not heard news for some time. And, call me Giovanni since we are friends now."

"Sure, Giovanni," Harry replied, "I don't really know much about Blaise. My contacts are mostly in Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. Blaise was sorted into Slytherin house. He is a hard worker and is near the top of most of his classes. Unfortunately, he does not associate with the most pleasant company."

Sergio came and placed a glass bowl in front of Harry. It contained a scoop of mint and a scoop of chocolate gelato garnished with two chocolate-dipped waffle rolls and dark chocolate shavings. Harry took a bite of the creamy treat. It was sweet, rich, and had a pleasant tang that he couldn't quite identify.

"This is good," Harry praised the dish.

"Thank you, sir," Sergio said, "This recipe has been perfected over four generations in my family. I must get back to work now." The owner hustled back to the kitchen.

"What bad influences has Blaise been associating with?" Giovanni Zabini asked curiously.

"The children of Death Eaters and pure-blood fanatics," Harry answered, "I don't understand how they can follow such beliefs, especially when they are consistently out performed by a muggleborn and they bow down to a half blood, and that's not even considering the moral implications of their beliefs or the inbreeding which will probably fix the problem without Harry Potter having to intervene at all."

Zabini laughed. "In the families, we only accept pure-blooded Sicilians. It is not a matter of better blood, but trust and family unity. We are more than happy to work with anyone if it is good business. It's no wonder their dark lord was killed by a baby if he thought the purity of his blood would win the day for him."

"As long as all intelligent species are treated equally and you have sufficient oversight to prevent the abuse of power, you will have no quarrels with me."

"And your stance on illegal activities?" Giovanni inquired.

"I am a dark lord. I know that sometimes it is required to violate the law to accomplish goals. As long as no one is being hurt by it, then I leave matters for the local authorities to deal with."

"How very reasonable of you. Why don't you and your two friends stay at my home for a few days. I can show you some interesting things. We can relax and get to know each other better. I think you are a very interesting man and I would love to see if the rumors of your skills are exaggerated."

"Thank you for the invitation. I'll need to consult my friends and make sure they don't mind missing the remainder of the bus tour."

Zabini looked a little upset by what he had said.

"It is no insult to your hospitality, I just prefer not to upset the lady since she suggested this bus tour in the first place," Harry explained.

Giovanni Zabini grinned and winked, "Of course, you must keep the lady happy. I will look forward to a favorable response after dinner."

* * *

Harry, Luna and Sirius enjoyed a ride in a black sedan with Giovanni to his country estate. The inside of the car had been expanded to be more like a limousine than a normal luxury vehicle. Giovanni entertained them with some stories of back room deals and family gatherings until the large white house with perfectly manicured grounds seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"This house has been in my family for generations. It is hidden from view by extensive wards so that no one who doesn't know it is here can find it. My cousin Vinny used to like to speed through the streets, then when he had a police car on his tail, he would head here and watch the officers try and figure out where he went. He was a real prankster."

"I hope he doesn't get infested with snidgey wickets," Luna said, "People like that attract them like nargles to mistletoe."

"What are snidgey wickets?" Giovanni asked curiously.

"They're invisible creatures that look almost like skinny bowtruckles. They latch onto the back of someone's neck and feed on lies, making them reveal their secrets," Luna explained, "I don't know how to get rid of them though, other than telling the truth all the time."

"If you see one of my boys having trouble with one of these snidgey wickets, point him out to me and I'll see if I can't find a way to get rid of them."

"You're surprisingly open minded," Harry pointed out, "Most people have trouble believing in the things Luna sees."

"I met a gypsy woman once. She could look at a man and tell you everything about him. She was a bit odd as well. It turned out that she was an aura reader and could see things that existed only on the spiritual plane. It is a rare gift and it is rare that any two ever meet, so they all describe things differently. Perhaps they all see things differently as well. The fact that she is a seer as well, probably only makes here stranger and more precious. You have good taste. I am not a man who overlooks opportunities and possibilities because that would be bad for business. Though, with abilities like this, you need to be sure of how reliable they are."

"Which makes me wonder, why haven't you made any prophecies recently?" Harry asked Luna, "You've started acting almost normal."

Luna raised an eyebrow mockingly, "Do you really want me to always spout off stuff like, '**The lord of snakes, shall stand beside the light of death. Through fire and air, water, and earth, shall be the trials heralding the resurrection of the vanquished heir. With the moon's revelations the hound will hunt, leading the serpent to the fragments of darkness,**' all the time?"

"What did that even mean?" Harry asked.

"Exactly!" Luna said.

"Do you even know what that prophecy meant?" Harry asked.

Luna didn't answer, instead opening the door and stepping out of the car.

"Sounded normal to me for her," Sirius said, hopping out the opposite door.

"In my experience, it's best to live in the present," Giovanni said, following Sirius. Harry got out next to Luna.

"This place is very nice," Luna stated, looking over the expansive gardens and lawns that surrounded the manor.

"Yes, it should considering how much I pay for upkeep," Boss Zabini chuckled as he turned to Harry, "Shall we head inside and get you all settled before it gets too dark? I can give you a tour of the grounds tomorrow."


	39. SUNDAY JULY 31, 1994

**SUNDAY JULY 31, 1994**

Harry woke up in the softest bed he's ever felt, bathed in white satin sheets. Luna lay sprawled across him with her head hanging off the side of the bed, snoring awkwardly. Harry ran his fingers across her abdomen. She woke with a snort, giggle and flailing of limbs. One knee slammed into Harry's face, knocking him into the mahogany headboard before Luna tumbled out of the bed and onto the thick red carpet. Harry was dazed for a few moments before he noticed that pain was blossoming across his face and a river of blood was flowing down his chin and onto his chest. Luna moaned and struggled to her feet.

"Oww... By dose," Harry moaned, "I ab not wakink you ub like thad aggend." His nose had begun to swell to twice its usual size.

"Are you going to be okay?" Luna asked.

Harry dried to heal his nose, but something wasn't working right. "I thig iss broked," Harry said. He could heal a simple bloody nose, but he didn't know enough about the internal structure to fix a broken one right.

Luna vanished the blood with a wave of her wand. "Let's get dressed. I am sure someone will know how to fix you up." She climbed into the trunk, returning a moment later with a pile of clothes. She had a light dress for herself and a pair of slacks and a button up shirt for Harry.

After getting dressed, Luna helped Harry down to the dining room which was filled with men wearing suits. Most would just grab a plate and fill it with food before walking off.

"Excuse me?" Luna called out. Everyone in the room turned to look. A couple of the occupants even spit out food and juice as they began laughing. "Anyone know the charm to fix a broken nose?"

"Episkey!" A nearby man cast.

Harry's nose felt hot, then cold as the pain faded away.

"And just so you don't go throwing anyone off their breakfast," another man said, "Tergeo!" The remaining blood vanished from Harry's face, leaving him looking as good as new.

"Thanks," Harry said to the two men, "That's much better."

Boss Zabini beckoned for Harry and Luna to join him. Harry sat next to the man and Luna next to him. They began grabbing breads and piling fruit and granita on them for a deliciously sweet breakfast that would help cool them from the already soaring temperatures.

"So, pup, what happened to you?" Sirius asked, "A little early to be getting into a fight isn't it?"

"Sirius, waking up a lady is a delicate process. I made a slight mistake this morning in forgetting to put up a shielding charm before I did it."

Sirius and Giovanni laughed.

"By the way, happy birthday!" Luna said sheepishly.

* * *

Harry, Luna, and Sirius had spent the morning touring the grounds. Sirius had taken the opportunity to go four-legged and chase after some of the resident children who were all much more accepting of him than the dutch children had been.

Now it was much too hot to be running around outdoors, so Giovanni Zabini had shown them to an area of the basement used for training. There were areas for magical dueling, boxing, fencing, wrestling, and mostly weapons ranges for everything from handguns to anti-tank bazookas.

"I like to make sure my men are prepared for anything," Zabini explained, "I make sure that they all are proficient in hand-to-hand, magical dueling, handguns, and assault rifles. We've even managed to enchant them to conjure bullets. The heavier weapons we've had less luck with. The projectiles in a grenade launcher are just too complex to properly describe with runes in the available space, not to mention the issues of the visible mounting point, which means we'd never be able to use them around muggles. Have you ever held a gun before?"

All three replied negatively.

"Let me teach you a thing or two then." He led them into one of the firing booths. There was a handgun mounted on the wall. "This is a Desert Eagle. You'll find that what we use is a little different than the originals we purchased from the manufacturers." He took the pistol and handed it to Harry grip first. "First rule of guns. Don't point it at anything if you aren't planning on shooting it. If one of my boys can see down the barrel of your gun, they'll pull their own and try to put a bullet in you first. Now try to shoot the target."

Harry pointed the gun down the range towards a paper silhouette and pulled the trigger. The trigger locked almost immediately. "The trigger won't pull."

"See that switch on the back of the barrel? That's the safety. While that's on, you can't fire the gun. It's useful for stopping you from blowing a hole in the foot while you lug this thing around. Turn off the safety and try again."

Harry toggled the safety.

"Watch where you're pointing that!" Giovanni said.

"Sorry." Harry had accidentally pointed the gun at him while turning the safety off. He pointed the gun down the range and pulled the trigger. There was a click, but nothing else.

"If you're going to shoot something, you need your gun to be loaded." Giovanni opened up a sliding cupboard door on the wall opposite the mount for the gun. There were several gun clips with different labels. "We have point five standard, hollow tip, fragmenting, armor piercing, explosive, high explosive, incendiary, silver, and various tranquilizers and poisons which are still pretty lethal if you hit someone in the right spots. We use point fives because they are the largest caliber available for hand guns and we only want to have to shoot someone once to put them down. Most magicals cannot stop a point-five with a standard shielding charm either. These clips draw magic from the person holding the gun to conjure the ammunition they are labeled with. Most of them are only conjured to last about half a second, so they don't take too much energy and don't leave any evidence behind. The silver and poison bullets will last for about an hour and will quickly drain your core if you fire rapidly." He took the standard clip and handed it to Harry. "Just slide that into the grip until it clicks."

Harry loaded the gun and took aim. When he pulled the trigger, there was a slight pressure against his hand and an almost silent puff sound before a loud crack was heard from the back of the range. "I expected it to be louder and have more of a kick and a bang." Harry was slightly disappointed, though he could see a rather large red splatter on the shoulder of the silhouette at the far end. He pulled the trigger a half-dozen more times, spreading red splotches across the silhouette's chest.

"Those are some of the modifications we've made to the gun. It counters most of the back force of the bullet, almost completely removing the kick. We originally removed it completely to improve accuracy, but sometimes it was hard to know if you had fired or not without the tactile feedback. We had a few accidents when people though they were playing with unloaded guns. We also silenced the barrel and added self-cleaning charms to prevent misfires and jamming."

"I suppose that makes sense," Harry said. It was very practical, but just didn't give the same feeling of wielding something powerful that Harry had been hoping for.

"Now, let me show you the proper way to hold one of these."

Once Giovanni had demonstrated proper stances, he needed to go and spend the rest of the day working.

* * *

Harry, Sirius and Luna spent the day trying out all the available weapons, getting help from conveniently available people whenever they moved on to new weapons. While some of the weapons were more fun with larger explosions, the Desert Eagles were the most convenient to carry. The automatic weapons were too large to carry in public and drained magic much too fact when using special ammunition. Other more specialized weapons like sniper rifles and rocket propelled grenades he could imagine being useful in certain circumstances, but not in daily lives.

Giovanni returned that evening and invited them out to supper. Harry inquired about purchasing six black desert eagles with six sets of each type of ammunition and six black dragon-hide shoulder holsters. He was surprised at how expensive they were, but considering his resources he didn't particularly care about the sixty-thousand galleon price. He bumped it up to a hundred and got a sniper rifle and RPG-7 with ammunition as well.

* * *

Dumbledore had been exhausted by the emergency meeting of the International Confederation of Wizards, followed by the usual annual meeting, which also heavily featured the rising dark lord, especially his attack on the Vatican's forces. It was amazing to think how many people had felt that the deaths of so many innocent people was justified. It served no purpose at all, not even derailing his own carefully laid plans.

The old wizard slumped down in his chair and looked around. Too many of his trinkets were motionless and soundless now. All the monitoring spells and wards had failed, leaving only two trinkets that used illegal blood magic running. A third that monitored Harry Potter's life force had stopped. Albus could not understand why. Even the two that were running were giving off inconclusive results. He sighed and determined that he would need to visit Privet Drive and renew his wards and spells.

Dumbledore stood up, despite the protests of his old bones. With a gentle roll of his wand between his fingers, he found himself in the shadows of a hedge across the street from number four on Privet Drive. He walked across the street, discretely confounding a nearby muggle to ignore his eccentricities, and gave the door three sharp knocks.

"You!" The door was flung open to reveal Vernon Dursley's face which was rapidly approaching a rather unhealthy puce color. "Get off my property, freak!" the enraged man ordered.

Dumbledore smiled congenially and flicked his wand, temporarily disabling the charm that exacerbated Vernon's hate for all things unnatural. "No need to get upset. I just wanted to speak with Harry for a few minutes."

Vernon's face was receding to its usual pallor. "Well, you're out of luck then. His no good criminal of a godfather took him the day he arrived back," Vernon gloated, "We'll probably never see the boy again."

Dumbledore almost dropped his wand in shock. "Th Thank you for your time, sir," Dumbledore apparated back to his office, wondering if there was any way he could salvage the situation. He never even thought about reapplying the charm.

Dumbledore collapsed into his chair for the second time that evening. He had no choice in the matter now. He had to get Harry back and get rid of Sirius Black permanently. He opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a ring with a phoenix charm. He tapped the ring with his wand and said, "This is Albus Dumbledore calling for an emergency meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. Sirius Black has kidnapped Harry Potter."


	40. WEDNESDAY AUGUST 3, 1994

**WEDNESDAY AUGUST 3, 1994**

It was nice to relax for once. Harry could lounge around most of the day, play with the children, spar with the men, cook with the women, or whatever else he fancied. He had even arranged for a lovely lunch picnic date with Luna. He also made sure the three of them spent a few hours every day shooting at the range, becoming proficient using the Desert Eagles in either hand. He had grand plans for those weapons when they were done. He leaned back in his deck chair as he opened 'Wands, Staves, Stones, and the uses of Other Magical Foci', the second book in his Merlin series.

* * *

**Types of Magical Foci**

_There are generally four types of magical focus: precision, concentration, power and channel. Each has benefits and disadvantages and can be used in different ways._

_Precision foci are used for precise control over spells. They can be used to create repeatable formulas for magic that can be duplicated by anyone with enough knowledge and power. The most common form of precision focus is a wand. Wands are made with a shell inscribed with runic formulas that draw out the user's magic in a controlled flow, infusing it into a core created of a magic-permeable substance. Other examples of precision foci are divination bowls and orbs which are made similarly to wands, but in a different form and for a specific purpose. There have been no successful attempts to make a general purpose precision focus other than the standard wand._

_Concentration foci are used to cast spells rapidly and powerfully with minimal expenditure of energy. Using a concentration focus is little different than using magic without a focus other than making the process easier. The most common form of concentration focus is a gem or stone which can be mounted onto another object such as a ring or a weapon, which must create a connection to the user by use of runes or a magically permeable substance._

_Power foci are used to increase range and power of spells. They are made similarly to precision foci but are combined with concentration or channeling foci to create objects such as staves. They are the weapon of choice for battle mages._

_Channeling foci use large structures such as standing stones to focus natural and ambient magic from external sources that would damage the human body. They are used to access the power of the earth, moon, sun, stars, nature, elements, or ley lines. They are traditionally used in ritual magic and constructing permanent wards._

* * *

"How are you doing today?" Giovanni asked, interrupted Harry's reading.

"Very good, the rest has done wonders for me. It is good to be somewhere where I can feel safe and normal, even if it's only for a little while," Harry admitted.

"Well, I was wondering if you would like to do a little sightseeing while you are here. I have time off this afternoon and access to the magical portion of the Necropolis of Pantalica. It is not exactly the most pleasant history, but it is a fascinating look at the tools of one of the most feared dark lords ever to be seen in Sicily."

* * *

The Zabini family estate was hidden in the orchards between Floridia and Syracuse. Unfortunately, the road they would be taking approached from the opposite side of Pantalica Nature Preservation Area which doubled the length of their trip. First, they traveled to Ferla before taking Regional Road Eleven into Pantalica.

Forty minutes into the trip, they pulled to the side of the dangerously narrow road at a rather sharp curve where road turned right around rather abruptly after passing between rocks that completely obstructed their scenic view. From here, they climbed a stile over a wire fence and walked the across the side of the mountain to see the square tombs cut into the stone cliff face.

"This," Giovanni said, "is what the muggles see. These holes are ancient tombs where the bodies of the dead were placed. They considered this to be sacred ground. It was said, long before any muggle history of the area, that the dead left here would sometimes return to to be glimpsed by their families one more time before passing on.

"The muggles just think of these tombs as tombs and that one body was placed in each. This is not true. You see, muggles used to travel from all across Sicily in order to put the bodies in one of the tombs in the hopes of a last chance of saying goodbye. When more arrived, more tombs would appear for them to use. When fewer were here, the tombs disappeared. There are five areas around this mountain plateau where they would appear."  
"I'm guessing wizards were behind this," Sirius guessed.

"Not quite. It was actually a witch. But, I'll explain more at our next stop."

* * *

The car turned off Route Eleven and onto a gravel drive. The road forked, one way headed towards a building, and the other towards nothing that Harry could see until they arrived there. It was the remains of the foundation of an ancient stone building.

"Now this is where the true magic happens," Giovanni said, climbing out of the car along with his three guests. Harry, Luna and Sirius followed. "Welcome," he said, stomping a foot on the ground. A grinding noise followed as some of the stones of the floor began to descend into the ground, forming the beginning of a flight of stairs. "I present you with Circe's Gateway to the Underworld."

"Impressive showmanship," Sirius said.

"I do try," Giovanni said with a confident grin. "Circe was a famous witch, known by muggles as a minor goddess of great beauty that tricked men. She is known to wizards as an accomplished necromancer, a master of transfiguration, the creator of the draught of transmogrification, and one of the few who acquired a form of limited immortality."

"A form of immortality?" Harry queried.

"She lived several hundred years and was considered a minor god by the mortals, though her form of immortality is not one I would choose myself. She was a genius at necromancy and potions. She turned herself into a lich, then kept her body lifelike and in good condition with an extensive potion regimen. Very high maintenance."

Giovanni led them down the stairs and into a twisted passage with natural stone walls. It really did not look all that impressive. It opened up into a cavern with no distinguishing features other then five other evenly spaced tunnels and an altar large enough to lay a human body on.

The altar was made of black volcanic rock. It was eight feet long and four feet wide. The top was inset in two levels so that a body would lay flat upon it. Around the edges were carvings of some sort of plant as well as snakes coiled around each other to make a three cord rope. At the head of the altar was some sort of carving.

Harry approached the altar. He could feel the dark magic radiating from it like nothing he had ever experienced before. He dared not touch it.

"This place is kind of creepy," Sirius stated.

"This is the resurrection chamber," Giovanni explained, "That altar was where the corpses were put before a ritual was used to revive them as undead slaves. We haven't figured out how it works yet. The other tunnels lead to the crypts where the bodies would be collected from after they were deposited. Circe actually lived in the building that was built above here but it has not survived the ages."

"Harry, what does this say?" Luna pointed to the carvings at the head.

"It is supposed to say something?" Harry asked, looking closed. The squiggly shapes resolved themselves into words after a moment of concentration. §I am the breath of the soul.§ Harry read.

"Without the hissy-speak please," Sirius requested.

"Sorry," Harry said. He still wasn't used to consciously switching between English and parseltongue. "I am the breath of the soul." There was a rumbling and a grinding sound.

"This is new," Giovanni stated, glancing around nervously and drawing his wand.

The body portion of the altar began to shift, sliding over the head depression. At the foot, a piece of stone the size of the head depression began to rise. As it rose above the level of the rest of the altar, it split down the middle. The two halves tilted and raised until they were standing vertically, revealing a book that was open below. The feeling of dread rose exponentially as the book was revealed. Apparently the altar had been muting its power.

Harry stepped back, repulsed by the dark feeling of the book. Unlike the parselscript, he could not read the writing of the book when he could bare to look at its leathery pages. Luna, however, seemed to have no such troubles.

Luna walked over and quickly flipped to the front page. "This is the Book of the Names of the Dead, the Necronomicon created by Circe. Its pages are formed of living flesh flayed from the backs of one thousand men. There are one thousand pages, one for each of the thousand souls this Necronomicon can contain.

"This page contains my own soul, the soul of Circe. It is my will that holds the souls that have been gathered. Should my soul be released, the nine-hundred-ninety-nine dead contained within this volume shall rise again and bring death to all they encounter. I leave this sealed here in the hopes that one day, someone with more strength than I shall complete my life's work that almost consumed me.

"The true master of death must have a spirit stronger than I. I took spirits into a book, but one day there shall be one who will take my Necronomicon and absorb the souls within their own. They must have an open mind, able to see what others cannot for one cannot read this book if they cannot see the spiritual plane. They must also bear a strong heart, for I could not look inwards and accept my truth. One's self is the one thing a seer of the other realms cannot see with clarity.

"I leave you with but one clue of the Aria of Souls, the first of seven lines which are the keys to accessing the full powers of the Necronomicon, '**I am the breath of the soul**'."

Light burst forth from Luna and a cyclone of wind engulfed her. She screamed in a way that reverberated throughout the cavern. It was a sound that caused all who would hear it to shudder at its inhuman qualities.

"Luna!" Harry clutched his ears to block out the unearthly sound that Luna was making. He struggled to approach her, despite the wild magic being expelled from her position. She seemed to be glowing, light pouring forth from her eyes and mouth. "Luna!" The light faded slowly as Luna went limp. Harry pushed forward as the winds dissipated, Catching the unconscious Luna before she could fall to the floor. "Luna! Are you alright?"

"What the hell was that?" Sirius demanded.

"Whatever it was had something to do with the book. It's gone," Giovanni replied.

Harry ran his hand across Luna's brow. She was sweating, but her skin felt as cold as death. "I don't care about the book. We need to get her to a healer!"


	41. SATURDAY AUGUST 6, 1994

**SATURDAY AUGUST 6, 1994**

Harry lay next to Luna, his eyes darkened by lack of sleep. He couldn't believe how important she had become for him in such a short time. The healer had told him that nothing could be done. Her magical core was fluctuating too much to risk any sort of magical treatment. The only thing he could do was make her as comfortable as possible until she woke on her own, which would probably happen once her magic stabilized.

Harry cast a warming charm on a cloth, dipped it in water, then began to wipe the sweat from her body. He had done this every couple hours. He had also learned the charms to magic food and water into her body. It was the same charm healers used to get unconscious or uncooperative patients to take their potions.

While Luna never usually wore undergarments, she was wearing them now, solely for the sake of Harry's own desire that any visitors would not get a free show. He began to wipe down her chest when he was suddenly knocked from the bed by the impact of Luna's hand slapping his face.

"How dare you take advantage of my slumber, worm," Luna hissed.

"Luna?" Harry asked, shocked at her outburst, "You're awake!"

"You speak so familiarly without knowledge. Know your place!" She waved an arm and Harry found himself flung back and pinned to the wall by the force.

"Luna! What are you doing?" Harry used his own magic to counter the force pinning him.

Luna's eyes widened in surprise. "My magic was overpowered. This isn't possible. No man has more power than Circe!"

"Circe?" Now Harry was really confused.

Luna seemed to notice her own body for the first time. "What have you done to my body?" She shrieked, "I'll turn you into a slug, you vile man! Where's my wand!"

"I have Luna's wand," Harry replied angrily, "Now give her back her body!"

"Her body?" This seemed to confuse Circe. "That's not possible! I was... Oh... I suppose that does make sense... Where is the book?" Circe asked.

"The book?" Harry asked, "You mean the Necronomicon?"

"Yes, where is it?" Circe demanded.

"It disappeared when Luna read the first page."

"She read it aloud, all of it?" Harry nodded affirmatively to her query. "Stupid girl!" Energy seemed to crackle around Circe violently. "I suppose she was also a parselmouth and opened the altar on her own?"

§No, that was me,§ Harry replied. "What's happened to her?"

"The book was made of the flesh, blood, and souls of men. When she read the first line of the Aria of Souls, she took in the spirit of the page she was reading, mine. My spirit is what bound the book. She must now be fighting to overcome the nine-hundred-ninety-nine other souls that were drawn in with me. If her will to live cannot overcome theirs, I will remain in control of this body for the rest of her life."

The blood drained from Harry's face at the thought. "No, I will have Luna back!"

"Do you really think she stands a chance against the wills of a thousand others?" Circe laughed.

"Yes... She'll come back, she has to come back..."

"You really love the girl this body belongs to, don't you?" Circe smirked, "Perhaps you'd like if I let you play with her body a bit?" She stalked forward like a lion preparing to pounce.

"No..." Harry said, angrily glaring at her. He waved a hand, sending Circe flying back into the bed where the sheets wrapped her up until she couldn't move."Give her back," Harry growled.

"If you want her back so badly, you could bring me a thousand sacrifices to put all these spirits in."

Harry stopped to consider it for a moment. He could live with himself if he sacrificed a thousand innocents to save Luna, but he knew that she would be disappointed in him and he couldn't live with that. "I can't..." Harry said. He collapsed to his knees in defeat.

"Weak," Circe smirked as she transfigured the sheets into a flowing dress. She stood up, looking down in him in contempt.

"I can kill ten thousand to save people I've never met, but not a thousand to save the girl I love."

A very un-Circe-like giggle came from Luna's mouth as she tackled him to the ground and kissed him. "You said you love me," she taunted with a bright smile.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "Luna?" he asked nervously.

Luna nodded, then nuzzled his chest happily. "It's me. Just me," she confirmed. "Unless you want me to let her out again. I can do that too," She added with a smirk as she moved forward to rest her forehead against his.

"Does that mean Circe was wrong?"

"No. My will needed to be stronger than any one of the souls I contain. I needed something worth living for, something I wouldn't give up for anything. You, Mr. Potter, did your saving people thing again, even if you didn't mean to at the time."

"I didn't do anything," Harry grumbled.

"You. Said. You. Loved. Me." Luna punctuated each word by poking him in the ribs, then giggled. "Just knowing you're going to say it is nothing compared to hearing the words!"

"Does it really make that big of a difference?" Harry asked. He'd not had anyone tell him they loved him since the day Voldemort had killed his parents.

Luna smirked playfully. "Harry James Potter, I love you too."

Harry shivered. The words passed through him like a wave, covering his skin in gooseflesh as warmth seemed to spread throughout his body. "Luna..." Harry launched himself into a sitting position and wrapped his arms around her. "Is this what it feels like? Is this what everyone else has known their whole lives?"

"No, this is better," Luna murmured into his ear.

"You know, I ever did tell you properly," Harry said, burying his face into her neck and deeply breathing in her scent, "I never knew what love was before. This feeling is,,, Amazing... I can't even properly describe it. I just know that there is nothing I wouldn't do to make you happy. I love you, Luna."

"I can't wait until..." Luna sighed. "I can't wait until I can show you how much I love you, but that is still so far away."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

Luna smiled and rolled her hips against his, making him quite uncomfortably aware of what she was referring to. "Unfortunately, you can't deflower me until I've bloomed, and I'm a late bloomer." She sighed again. "But we can still snog each other senseless until then," she perked up, giving him a lecherous smile."

"I'd better get on with that now, shouldn't I," Harry replied.

* * *

"There's been no sign of either of them," Alastor Moody reported. He took a sip from his hip flask, his false eye whizzing around to make sure no one was casting a switching spell. He knew there was no way to trust someone as wily and cunning as the aged headmaster. Half the reason he'd joined the order was to keep an eye on them.

"That is unsettling," Albus Dumbledore replied, stroking his beard, "You don't suppose he killed the boy do you?"

"No, that's not Black's style. He likes to show off, and we haven't heard a peep from him since Halloween." Moody grunted, "What I think is that Black is raising the boy, doing his duty as the boy's godfather, probably on some remote island where no one will ever find him."

"If that's the case, I'm sure that Harry will be back at school on the first," Remus added.

"We can only hope," Albus said, "Arthur, have you heard anything more about the ministry employee that disappeared in Albania?"

"Nothing much can be done. Rumors or not, Miss Jorkins was known for being a bit loopy and it's outside the Ministry's jurisdiction. They're working on the assumption that she is merely lost... again... but are looking into possible replacements."

Albus shook his head. "I suppose there is nothing more that can be done. How's your new partner working out, Kingsley?"

"A little clumsy, but very skilled. She seems interested in joining the order."

"More ears in your department couldn't hurt," Albus agreed, "Feel free to invite her to the next meeting."

* * *

"I see the woke up..." Giovanni commented, causing Harry and Luna to spring apart and straighten out their clothes.

"Umm... I suppose," Harry blushed.

"Well then, Perhaps you can get cleaned up, then after lunch you can show me some of these skills that you're so famous for, Lord Sibilus, or perhaps you'd prefer Lord Potter."

"I... Umm... What are you talking about?" Harry said, glancing at the ground.

"You scar is showing. You're quite famous, even around here."

Harry's hand shot up to his forehead, but he couldn't feel it there. "My scar's not showing!" Harry retorted before realizing his mistake.

"You're a terrible liar when you're put on the spot. You should really work on that," Zabini said. "I have resources too. I know your companions are Luna Lovegood and Sirius Black. I would have to assume, since you seem to travel with him willingly that he did not do the things he was accused of. I tried to acquire copies of his trial record, and how surprised I was to discover that he didn't have any. Do you have any idea how that could have happened?"

"Simple. Albus Dumbledore wanted him out of the way so he could control me. There was no way he'd have been convicted if he had been given a fair trial."

"I thought so," Zabini said.

* * *

Harry collapsed on a bench exhausted. For the past four hours, Zabini had tested every aspect of his abilities. Strength, endurance, flexibility, magical capacity, hand to hand fighting, wandless magic, swordsmanship, and wanded magic. Despite his metamorph healing, he still felt sore from the hand-to-hand fighting. It was definitely something he would need to work on, if only to give him more options.

"That was rather impressive for someone your age," Zabini said, "I doubt most of my men could keep up with you in anything other than muggle fighting. Some of them may be more skilled, but you have the speed and power to make up for it. Though, I don't see how you have come to have such a fierce reputation. I am sure that a few good men could overpower you."

"I was using my 'Harry Potter' wand. My other wand tends to dismember people even when the spell is not meant to do any harm. I am also not wearing my armor. It's basilisk hide coated in lodestone carved with protection runes on every scale. I can also use my cockatrice animagus abilities to petrify or kill with a look. Not to mention the fact that I can survive the killing curse, which along with my armor makes me pretty resiliant. The rest is just luck."

"Yes, that is a rather deadly complement of abilities," Zabini agreed, "Which I am sure will only increase once we finish carving the runes into the guns you purchased."

"I've been doing some reading, and I've been wondering if I could get a few extra additions made to the Desert Eagles."

"For the right price, anything is possible," Boss Zabini replied.

"Are you sure you're pure Sicilian? I would swear you have goblin blood in you talking like that."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Giovanni replied with a grin.

"I'd like matched pairs. One with snakes, one with doves, and one with dogs. Placed on the front of the barrel, I'd like some gem stones, emeralds for the snakes, diamonds for the doves, and black diamonds for the dogs, connected to the grip by a magic permeable substance like gold or silver. I'd also like the holsters to match."

"A man of style, I see. Is there a purpose to this other than the appearance?"

"It will allow us to use them as concentration focuses. Not as precise as a wand, but it will be nice to not have to switch weapons for a simple spell," Harry explained.

"I might look into that for my own men," Zabini agreed.

* * *

Harry woke up when Luna started thrashing in her sleep. She was afflicted with cold sweats. She mumbled and moaned unintelligibly.

"Tempus!" Harry cast after grabbing his wand. "Twenty-three and fifty-eight... Almost midnight." He shook Luna gently. "Luna, wake up." She remained in her troubled sleep.

"**I am the breath of the soul,**" Luna gasped out. Her voice echoed with the voices of a thousand others.

"LUNA!" Harry shook her harder. "Wake up! Please!"

Luna shuddered for a moment. "**My b-b-b...**" She cut off abruptly as if trying to stop herself, biting down on her lip hard enough to cut it open.

"You can do it. You're strong," Harry encouraged, "Don't let a bunch of corpses beat you."

"**I am the breath of the soul. My bread is flesh and...**" Harry covered her mouth to stop her from speaking.

"Remember, Luna, I love you, I need you, don't let them take you away from me," Harry begged. He kissed her gently on the forehead. She began to calm.


	42. TUESDAY AUGUST 16, 1994

**TUESDAY AUGUST 16, 1994**

Harry was exhausted. Giovanni had been very accommodating while they waited for the customization on the weapons to be completed, but Harry had gotten very little sleep. Once again, he had been awakened. It occurred several times every night as one spirit or another would attempt to take over Luna's body.

"I love you. I need you. Don't let them win," Harry begged.

Luna was no better off than he. If anything, she was ever more exhausted, having to constantly fight for control of her own body. Harry was afraid that she would exhaust herself to the point where she would be completely overshadowed by another spirit.

"Harry..." Luna moaned, "I can't stop it anymore. Help..."

"I don't know what to do. We need more information. If only we could release the spirits inside you until you mastered the magic. We need help."

Luna's eyes seemed to stare off into the distance for a moment. "I know who can help, but I need you to make it happen."

"What do I need to do?" Harry asked.

"They're working together. I need allies. Make a deal with her. Promise her anything you need to. **I am the breath of the soul.**"

Luna's eyes closed then opened again. It still looked like Luna, but Harry could tell it wasn't her.

"Circe?" Harry asked nervously.

"You take advantage of my body again? What impudence. I should –"

"But, it's not your body," Harry interjected.

Circe narrowed her eyes at him. "You dare contradict me?" She seemed almost amused, gazing at him as if he was cornered prey.

"I do," Harry said, "You're going to help us."

"I am, am I?" Circe looked bemused. "How exactly am I going to help you?"

"You're going to form a partnership with Luna and keep the other souls at bay until she learns how to fully control them while she sleeps."

Circe chuckled. "I can control them just fine. Perhaps I'll just not let her regain control of her body."

"No!" Harry said resolutely. "If you commandeer her body without permission, I will lock you away in a room with no light, no sound, not even a sensation of touch until your resolve weakens. I will give you slivers of hope, then take them away until you go mad from desperation. I will break you." Harry stared right into her eyes with conviction, assuring her that he was both fully capable and willing to do whatever it took. "Or, you could work with us. Just ask, and I will do whatever it takes to ensure your cooperation."

"I want an hour a day to do what I will with this body."

"One hour a week, and you will be summoned at least once a day once Luna is able, and when she is in full control of these abilities, we will find a way to get you your own body. You will not do anything that would defile or damage her body when you have control of it, nor will you allow anyone else to know it is not her through word or action."

"So, I will not be allowed to speak with anyone but you?"

"Myself, my godfather, or anyone in my trunk at the time. And, you will not reveal our secrets."

"And, when I have my own body?" She asked.

"If you work against us, you will be..." Harry paused for a moment for tension, "Dealt with."

"And, if I choose to work with you instead?" she suggested.

Harry shrugged, ignoring her flirtations. "That would be your choice. I may be a dark lord, but I am not evil."

"Okay, I accept. Swear on your magic."

"I swear on my magic," Harry said, raising his wand in the air, "That I will do anything in my power that is not what I consider to be evil in order to restore Circe to a living body of her own if she helps Luna to control the souls that try to possess her body."

"I suppose that will do... I don't particularly like the restriction you put on it," Circe sulked.

"Well, if we need bodies, I'll happily use death eaters and other villains. I just need to be able to refuse if you try on insisting that I do some ritual that requires the pickled remains of flayed children or something."

"Very well. Your answers lie in mind magics, specifically occlumency. It is used to prevent and fight against mental attacks. In this case, this body's mind would prevent another from attempting to possess it. It also prevents practitioners of legilimency from reading your thoughts. I recommend everyone learn it since the techniques help with mental recall, focus, and control."

"That would improve wandless magic as well..." Harry realized.

"I am surprised you can use controlled wandless magic without it," Circe responded.

* * *

Giovanni approached Harry and Luna who were doing meditation exercises on the lawn. "I have some good news," he said, "Your order is complete. You can pick up your new weapons in the shooting range."

Harry opened his eyes. He was finding the exercise for clearing his mind to be incredibly easy. Luna on the other hand was struggling. Her prophetic abilities pretty much guaranteed that her mind could never be completely closed off. 'The Internal Magic of Me' had provided some special exercises that allowed Luna to segregate her mind, closing off only the parts that were critical such as her consciousness and memories. Unfortunately, this method was exponentially harder, though would allow her more defensive options such as shunting a legilimency probe into the incorrect portion of her brain, which could be rather dangerous considering most brains were not set up to handle the direct input of the universe as a seer's brain was.

"Thank you," Harry said, "I really appreciate everything you've done for us."

"It has been my pleasure," Giovanni replied, "Even a Sicilian appreciates a celebrity, especially one who is so good at creating excitement as you are."

"You mean getting into trouble?" Harry asked.

"You could put it that way," Giovanni chuckled, "But I personally like to use a little tact."

"Tact is for rich people living in fancy houses and throw snooty parties. I prefer a dank pub and the language that goes with it," Harry delivered with his snootiest voice.

"I suppose a person of your high standards wouldn't be interested in a few tickets to the quidditch world cup. It's too bad, really, since I have three tickets, but need to be away on business."

"Well, if you insist..." Harry suddenly began to choke as a wad of grass landed in his mouth.

"Some people are trying to meditate," Luna admonished.


	43. MONDAY AUGUST 22, 1994

**MONDAY AUGUST 22, 1994**

Harry had everything packed up and ready to go. All three of them had used various means of disguising their identity, including self transfiguration and muggle makeup in order to give themselves similar enough traits that they could pass themselves off as family.

"Thank you for everything," Harry said, shaking Giovanni's hand.

"It was an honor to have you here," Giovanni replied, "Feel free to stop by if you are ever in the area again.

"I don't think we'll be here again," Luna replied. With her new occlumency barriers, she was beginning to regain her usual dreamy tone rather than the more terse and irritated demeanor that lack of sleep and constant mental battles had caused. "We may see you again though."

"No dawdling now," Sirius admonished, "Portkey leaves soon whether you're attached to it or not." He scratched and adjusted himself as he held out the enchanted candy striped stocking.

"This makes me feel like a pervert. Why didn't they choose something normal?" Harry asked as he and Luna grabbed on.

Harry felt the tug of the portkey and they began their nauseating trip.

* * *

An attendant greeted them when they arrived. They were quickly pointed towards a cabin and told to make haste lest the next group appear on top of them. A man looking rather befuddled, a common side effect of the excessive use of memory charms, informed them that Giovanni Zabini's spot in the camp ground was the fifth spot in the twelfth row.

Following the guideposts, they found themselves placed between two rather extravagant maroon tents with poster's of a dour looking young man glaring out at them.

"Victor Krum, the youngest and best seeker in the league. You have a lot in common," Luna informed Harry.

Sirius transfigured a matching tent and Harry put his trunk inside.

"Shall we explore the campground for a while? We can return for a late lunch before we head to the stadium."

Sirius grinned, transformed into a dog, then ran off to get into mischief.

Luna took Harry's hand and they began to have a pleasant stroll, while laughing about the crazy outfits that some wizards thought were normal muggle attire.

"I can understand some of the clashing color choices since the wizarding world tends towards preferences for bright, attention-getting colors, but that is just wrong." Harry shook his head in disgust at a corpulent man wearing a hot pink miniskirt and lime green tube top combination with a pair of leopard print stiletto heels. To make matters worse, it seemed the man was well accustomed to wearing the heels, easily able to walk in them even though they kept sinking into the soil.

"Just stop looking," Luna advised.

"It won't matter... Curse my perfect memory and immunity to obliviation!"

Luna patted his head consolingly as the man bent over and revealed that he was going with traditional Scottish style undergarments, that is none at all. "Come on. Let's just go," Luna encouraged. She dragged him down into another row of tents that was predominately green with shamrock motifs everywhere.

Harry stiffened in irritation as he saw someone he hadn't expected to see for at least another week. Ron Weasley was walking along with Dean Thomas from their dorm. He looked rather irritated by the fact that his brothers were shadowing him and making fun of him.

"As much as I am loathe to save the traitor, I wouldn't mind the company of the twins." Harry suggested. Luna nodded in agreement and they headed towards the redheads. Casually waving, Harry cast a small bit of wandless magic, tripping the younger sibling.

"Hello," Fred said.

"Do we know you?" George finished.

"Do we really know anyone?" Luna asked, "There always seems to be something deeper that you just can't see... Like a person's gall bladder. You rarely get to see something like that, though I am not sure you'd particularly want to. They also might object since it is a rather personal thing and showing it off can be quite painful and dangerous if you're not a professional."

"Err... Yes... That's true," Harry said, "Would you two care to accompany Snake Eyes and Oracle for a bit of lunch before the game? Padfoot might also show his mangy tail if he's not too busy humping some poor soul's leg."

"What do you think Gred?" George asked.

"I do believe that would be absolutely delightful," Fred responded.

"Indeed. We could use some conversation that is a little more intellectually stimulating than the opinion that the Cannons should have been here instead of Ireland."

"Despite the fact that they haven't won a game in almost forty years."

"Maybe they should take up golf," Harry suggested, "In that game, their scores would be considered legendary."

* * *

Harry, Luna and Sirius were sitting in seats half way up the stands near the center of the field. Each had a set of omnioculars which had been purchased from a merchant near the exit. The binocular-like devices had many functions. They could zoom in and out, pause and rewind, display the names of players and plays, in addition to keeping a record of the game for the future.

The twins were far on the other side of the stadium in a box reserved for government officials since their father had gotten his tickets through his connections at the ministry.

"Looks almost as if a fight is going to break out up by the twins," Harry chuckles, "Draco and his family are up there and decided to stick Draco next to Ron. That's just asking for trouble."

"Oh, look, the mascots are coming out!" Luna pointed out.

A group of attractive looking women entered the field, performing a dance that seemed almost hypnotic. Harry could feel the tug of some sort of mind magic pushing up against his mental barriers like a wave washing over him. He grabbed his wand and looked for the source of the attack, narrowing it down to the Bulgarian mascots. Most of the men in the stadium were out of their seats to get a better look. Sirius tripped over the seat in front of him and would have become well acquainted with old woman occupying the seat had Harry not caught him by the collar and yanked him back into his seat.

"Interesting," Luna commented, "I've never seen a veela before. Daddy was right about how they make men turn into blathering idiots. You seem to be doing fine though."

Once the (mostly male) applause died down, the mascots for Ireland flew in on brooms. They were tiny little men wearing green. As they zoomed over the crowd, galleons began to rain down, showering the crowd with gold coins which people fought to collect. Harry, using his seeker reflexes, easily snatched one out of the air.

"Leprechauns," Luna explained, "Are able to conjure gold, but it only lasts for a day before it disappears. Trying to deposit leprechaun gold in Gringotts is a capitol offense."

"Doesn't seem like many people know about that," Harry said as he saw two men get into a fistfight over a small handful of coins.

Once the spectacle of the mascots the teams were introduced and the game began. It was clear from the beginning that the Irish team had far better chasers as they quickly took the lead. Victor Krum, however, was a far better seeker. The seeker for Ireland feel for a ploy known as a Wronski Feint in which Krum dove towards the ground as if he had noticed the snitch. The Irish Seeker followed his lead, following right behind him. Since the Irish seeker was too busy looking for the snitch, his reflexes were too slow when Krum pulled out of his dive at the last minute. The Irish seeker slammed into the ground and bounced, leaving his broom sticking out of the ground where it had buried half of its shaft. He was carried off by the medics, clearly unable to continue playing.

Ireland continued to pull ahead until it was no longer possible for Bulgaria to win the game with the point bonus the snitch would provide. At this point, the snitch made an appearance and Krum began shadowing it, trying to give his team a chance to catch up. When Ireland pulled ahead by another thirty points, he gave up and just caught the snitch before the point difference became too embarrassing.

* * *

Harry woke up suddenly when the wards on his trunk alerted him. It was nearing midnight. Luna was already up and wearing her armor.

"You'll want to dress appropriately," Luna cautioned. Harry began to slip into his own basilisk hide armor.

Outside the trunk, Harry discovered that the campground was in flames. People were running and screaming. "Aguamenti!" He pointed his wand almost straight up, causing conjured water to rain down on the nearby burning areas before heading to where the mass panic and gouts of fire were originating from.

Harry found four men in black cloaks and wearing white masks. Above their heads dangled the muggle caretaker of the campground and his family being twisted and contorted by magic.

"Death Eaters..." Luna said, "Voldemort's followers."

"I'll fight, you save the muggles, okay?" Harry suggested.

"I'm ready," Luna said, pointing her wand towards the ground and uttering a cushioning charm.

"Expelliarmus!" The nearest Death Eater was struck in the face with the disarming spell, sending his head flying. "Stupefy!" The stunning spell struck like a demolishing hex, blasting the contents of another Death Eater's chest cavity all over the grass. Two of the muggles fell towards the ground, but Luna levitated them away from the fighting. The remaining two enemies turned to face Harry, causing the other two muggles to fall onto the cushioned ground. Harry didn't give them a chance to get their bearings. He drew his sword and banished it at one while he fired another disarming spell at the other. The one targeted by the sword apparated away. The other wasn't so lucky. His right shoulder was blown off.

"We had better leave," Luna urged.

The two headed back to the trunk. Harry thought it was over until a green light in the sky brought another cry of panic to the masses. A glowing skull with a snake woven through it had appeared over the forest.

"You know, I think it's time to go visit your father for the rest of the summer."

"That's a good idea. Daddy has probably been lonely without me around," Luna agreed.

* * *

Harry had Dobby pop them over to the Rookery. The light was still on and they entered to find Xenophilius Lovegood working on an article for the September issue of the Quibbler. Nearby was the already distributed August edition for which the head story was 'Interview with a Vampire: Count Dracula supports Dark Lord Sanies Sibilus'.

"Good evening Daddy!" Luna pounced on her father's back, wrapping her arms around his neck in a ferocious hug.

"Oh, my little whippering giblet, I've missed you. How was your vacation?"

"It was quite exciting. So many things happened. We visited black markets, battled vampires, found lost relics, stole impossibly dangerous magic from governments, won tournaments, destroyed the headquarters of a group of blood purists, became friends with the mafia, learned necromancy, and fought Death Eaters at the world cup."

"That does sound interesting, I'll need to hear all about it, but before then, it's past your bedtime, so you had better take your dark lord to bed, just beware of his crumpled horn."

"I know, daddy. We definitely won't be doing anything more than chasing the nargles away until after Christmas."

"Good girl. Have a good night then."


End file.
